


The Last Gemini

by gleechild



Series: What The Hell, Universe?! [2]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Darkness, F/M, Merge, black magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:35:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 172,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25223257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleechild/pseuds/gleechild
Summary: SEQUEL to 'What The Hell, Universe?!'  With the help of Hope and Clarke, the twins were free from the Merge but was it too late to save them from the darkness?  HOLARKE.
Relationships: Ryan Clarke/Hope Mikaelson
Series: What The Hell, Universe?! [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1827394
Comments: 161
Kudos: 91





	1. Prologue: It Is Finished.

**Author's Note:**

> ****  
>  credit: [hopeforhopan_](https://instagram.com/hopeforhopan_?igshid=h2ahsly6ddjm)
> 
> * * *
> 
> _I own nothing but my own words._

**December 23, 2031.**

"Ready?" Hope asked.

"Ready!" Lizzie and Josie said at the same time, grinning their excitement.

The three girls hugged one last time before Hope went to join the circle, leaving the twins to stand together in the center, facing each other.

It was almost time.

Hope stood amongst friends and family, all witches who were all powerful, and who had all joined together for one purpose.

To free Lizzie and Josie from the curse of the Gemini Coven—a curse that forced each generation of twins to merge at the age of twenty-two into one being and become the leader of the coven.

Being the only two surviving members of the coven, one would think merging wasn't necessary any longer.

But the origin of the curse was deeply rooted in the protection of Earth itself.

The Gemini were originally from another dimension, one overrun by creatures created by black magic making it difficult to survive. They escaped to Earth through a long hidden portal, finding a safe haven in this dimension.

Unfortunately, something went wrong and the creatures began to follow. The portal's entrance was no longer hidden.

To protect their new world, the Gemini created a seal to keep out the old one. The seal wasn't powerful enough on its own though, and it needed to last forever.

So the Gemini linked the seal to the most powerful among them, the twins. They linked the seal to the twin bond itself, ensuring that the seal would endure.

The Gemini made a grievous error though.

They used black magic to create the link.

As the twins aged, the black magic infected their bond causing insanity in some while making others more susceptible to the darkness. The link proved too much for the twins to handle separately. They could only maintain the link—and for some, their sanity—by merging as one by the first celestial event after their twenty-second birthday.

Long had the tradition in the Gemini Coven carried on. The truth behind the merge kept hidden by all but a few of the elders.

Over time, the merge became the way of life for the coven to determine the next leader. The twins began to see it as a challenge, never knowing that the merge protected the entire world. Never knowing that their turn as leader was their reward for their sacrifice.

That would all end tonight.

Hope looked over at Ryan, standing on the outskirts watching the witches, and had to smile.

Ryan. Ryan Clarke.

His father was Malivore—a golem created in black magic nearly a thousand years ago by three: the head of the Gemini Coven at the time, a vampire who was an ancestor of MG, and a werewolf who was an ancestor of Ethan. Created to rid the world of one of the worst creatures to follow the Gemini into this dimension—the dragon—Malivore proved more effective than his creators had known he would be, absorbing all supernatural creatures that weren't one of the protected species.

He rose up against his creators and paved his own way, intent on absorbing as many creatures as he could to grow stronger. When he grew lonely, he attempted to create his own lineage. One of those creations turned out to be Ryan.

Malivore had finally met his end about a month ago. To say she, Ryan, and the students of the Salvatore school were relieved would be an understatement.

In his father's death, Ryan had made the discovery that he actually _did_ have a mother. She was Earth itself, and they could reach one another in his dreams now that the link between Ryan and Malivore was severed. Ryan wasn't shrouded in darkness any longer.

Ryan also now ruled the hell dimension his father once resided in before it became a separate entity from Malivore's consciousness.

Discovering his mother, gaining his father's legacy, and even his very continued existence were all thanks to Lizzie.

Lizzie's insistence that only earth magic be used to destroy Malivore saved Ryan's life.

Ryan was going to return the favor.

Hope admitted to herself that the idea was a bit farfetched, but she had shared it anyway. It was her idea for Ryan to open a permanent portal to Malivore big enough to cover the dimensional gateway between Earth and the other world. That way any creature trying to come through would find itself trapped in Malivore instead of wreaking havoc on Earth.

With the portals lined up, there would no longer be any need for the seal.

It had taken nearly a month, but they had done it!

With the help of her aunts Freya and Davina, they had pieced together a spell that would sever the link between the seal and the twin bond. Following that, the seal would simply cease to exist.

Lizzie and Josie would finally be free, cursed no more.

Hope gripped the hands of the witches on either side of her. Both were New Orleans witches, as were all the others in the circle. They were waiting for the meteor shower to begin so they could use the power of the celestial event to undo what the Gemini ancestors had done—the final step.

Last week, the Saltzmans and Caroline had traveled with Hope and Ryan to Oregon, about an hour outside of Portland. Ryan's mother had revealed to him the location of the portal. The girls, and their parents, wanted to be present to see him complete the first step.

The portal to the other dimension was hidden behind a waterfall in Oneonta Gorge. Fortunately it was rainy season so they didn't have to deal with any tourists as they hiked their way to it. Given the rain, the water along the path raised higher than their heads. Luckily, they were witches and could hold the water back as their party came through.

New to his power, Ryan was still figuring out how to make the surface of the portal solid enough so no one could enter without his permission. In the meantime, Hope and the twins created a barrier so that no one could accidentally tumble through from Earth's side. They weren't as concerned about the other side of the portal; why _not_ help the other world by absorbing some of the creatures?

She was still amazed that Doctor Saltzman had finally agreed to her plan. He made no secret of the fact that he didn't trust Ryan. While he very much wanted to find a way to save his daughters, he also didn't want to put something as vital as the protection of the world in the hands of someone he didn't trust.

Desperate to save the girls, she finally convinced Ryan to tell Doctor Saltzman about his mother. She trusted him completely and knew Ryan's secret would be safe with him.

Ryan preferred to keep the information about his mother to just him and her. But, he _had_ said he wanted to save Lizzie. He couldn't do that if her father wouldn't let him.

Once Doctor Saltzman understood that Ryan protecting the dimensional gateway _also_ meant Ryan was protecting his mother, he finally agreed. He still didn't trust Ryan, but at least he now believed that Ryan wouldn't allow the world to be destroyed.

The past month since they destroyed Malivore had been a bit of a whirlwind with lots of changes, but Hope couldn't be happier.

She was in New Orleans—her favorite place on Earth—surrounded by her favorite people on the planet, spending her first _real_ Christmas with Ryan, about to make sure her best friends were safe.

Life was good.

* * *

Clarke would never admit it, but he actually felt good knowing he was helping someone and it wasn't for his own benefit.

Just another new thing in the plethora of new he had learned about being human since he first found his conscious linked to Hope's subconscious months ago.

He would also never admit that the blonde twin had grown on him.

She was a giant pain-in-the-ass most of the time with a constant attitude, but they had made a begrudging truce. She was Hope's best friend so he was pretty much stuck with her.

She was also the reason he was alive, so, yeah, she wasn't that bad. He might even call her a friend…

Maybe. Like, twenty years from now.

In the meantime, he was going to make sure she wasn't absorbed by her twin so she would be around to _be_ friends twenty years from now.

While he wasn't helping Lizzie for his own benefit, it didn't hurt that Hope loved showing him her appreciation for his helping though.

He caught her smile from afar and returned it with a knowing smirk of his own, looking forward to later so he could enjoy some of that appreciation. He needed it.

It had been a rough month for him.

He was so used to spending every hour of every day with her that it took a lot to get used to that ending.

With the death of his father, life had to go on. 

For Hope, it meant going back to school and trying to catch up on everything she had missed while on the run. 

For Clarke, it meant taking over Triad and restructuring the entire organization the way he saw fit.

He felt a bit like a nomad while traveling to all the different bases, checking on each facility, and meeting with the government liaison all to make the necessary changes to move Triad into the private sector while maintaining a contract with the government. The government didn't have a choice in the matter, no other agency had the power to dispose of the creatures and make sure the public forgot they ever existed in the first place.

Things were coming along smoothly and, with any luck, he could start his next phase soon which would involve him going on missions himself to see some of the action he was used to _and_ to evaluate field agents.

His new personal assistant would get to handle a lot of the boring monotonous details. He had given Veronica Greasley the job. She wasn't pleased to be at his every beck and call, but she wanted to keep her job. He didn't trust her though, so he kept a close eye on her.

But then, he didn't trust anyone except for Hope.

As far as Hope was concerned, he made sure to return to Mystic Falls as much as possible. He tried for the weekends since he knew she wouldn't have class then. He knew things might change again once he started working missions.

He loved being in control of Triad. He was powerful, feared, and could basically do whatever the hell he wanted. But being away from her was hard.

Christmas being that week, he had Veronica clear his schedule so he could spend Hope's entire winter break with her. Christmas was _their_ holiday, and he wasn't going to let another one pass without celebrating it with her. He also had a surprise for her.

Since she was going to be in Mystic Falls until graduation, he needed something more permanent than staying in a hotel room every time he wanted to visit her, so he found an apartment that let him sign a six month lease. It would be his home base, but it would also be _theirs_ , when they could both get away, at least until the end of term.

After graduation, she wanted to go to _college_. What he really wanted was for her to be with _him_ , to travel with _him_. She had once told him she wanted to spend her life helping supernaturals and traveling the world. Just skip all the school stuff and she could be doing that already right by his side.

But if college was what she wanted, she would get it.

"It's time," Freya called out to everyone.

And so it began.

The twins held hands and the rest of the witches did too, standing in a circle around the girls as they began chanting.

" _Invocavit vinculum_ _!_ _Invocavit vinculum_ _!_ _Invocavit vinculum_ _!_ _Invocavit vinculum_ _!_ "

The magic filled the air around the twins and the bond between them was suddenly visible. It appeared to be white but was warped and twisted with red laced through. Where the red touched, the darkest black was seeping into the white.

The black was the darkness that had seeped into the bond over time, poisoning the twins slowly as they aged.

He wasn't surprised that the darkest part of the bond was closest to Josie's side.

" _Solve vinculum! Solve vinculum! Solve vinculum! Solve vinculum!_ "

With each chant, the red began to move, slithering its way up and unwinding from the bond. The red rose into the air, a single strand that represented the magical link between the bond and the seal. When the link was finally clear of the bond, the bond straightened. It was no longer warped.

" _End animum dulcedine! End animum dulcedine! End animum dulcedine! End animum dulcedine!_ "

The red began to dissipate in midair until it dissolved and disappeared, the link between the twin bond and the seal severed forever.

" _Praesidio vinculum! Praesidio vinculum! Praesidio vinculum! Praesidio vinculum!_ "

The twin bond, still as strong and as firm as ever before, returned to its usual state, no longer visible or tangible, protected as it had always been within the twins.

"It is finished," Freya declared.

All the witches let go of each other, grinning and exclaiming in relief.

The twins dropped their hands and hugged each other fiercely; grateful that they would always have each other and neither of them would have to kill the other.

But possibly the most relieved of all were their parents. Alaric and Caroline rushed to the girls, hugging them tightly. Caroline was more emotional than them all as happy tears poured down her cheeks, so glad her girls were safe. The girls giggled as Caroline kept going back and forth, kissing their heads, filled with so much emotion.

Hope practically sprinted over to him, happy as she was too, and threw herself into his arms.

"Thank you," she mumbled into his chest.

"Does this mean you owe me one?" he asked, grinning down at her.

"Ha," she said, pulling back with a smile. "You know you didn't do this for me."

"I know," he shrugged, "but might as well reap the benefits."

She grinned, seeing what he couldn't see since he was no longer facing the Saltzmans.

"Benefits, incoming!" she warned, giggling.

He raised an eyebrow right before an excited emotional ball of energy latched itself onto him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Caroline exclaimed, hugging him and crying happy tears all over him.

"Uh… you're welcome?" he looked to Hope for help. He didn't do hugs, not with anyone except Hope.

Caroline pulled back and brushed at her eyes, shaking her head at herself, "Sorry, sorry, I just…"

"It's okay, Caroline," Hope said, going to her side and putting an arm around her in case she still had a case of the 'hugs'. She was laughing inside at the look on Ryan's face when Caroline hugged him, but she would rescue him from more of the awkwardness. "He's pretty incredible, I know."

" _Just_ this once," Lizzie said, joining them, "will I agree."

"I'm shocked," Clarke said, putting a hand to his chest in mock disbelief.

"Oh, shut up," Lizzie gave him a look, shifting back and forth, undecided, then finally sighed and begrudgingly stepped forward and hugged him too.

She pulled back just as quickly and said, "Thanks. Also something that will only happen once. _Ever_."

Hope shook her head. "You two, I swear. Saving each other's lives like it's not a big deal, then acting like you hate each other," she said.

"Because we do," Lizzie said with a nod.

"I only put up with her because of you," he said.

"Same," Lizzie agreed.

"Yeah, right," Hope laughed.

"I think it sounds like the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Caroline interjected with a tearful laugh and firm nod.

They all snickered at that.

* * *

Josie finally let go of her father who held her so tightly once he got a hold of her that she couldn't help but let him keep hugging her. The past seventeen years had been hard on him, knowing about the curse of the Gemini twins and not knowing how to save them from it. It must have been a constant source of worry for him.

Most fathers would do anything to protect their daughters, but how could he protect them from that?

She knew the relief he felt was enormous. She knew he needed to hold her just a little while longer than usual. And she let him because she was just as relieved.

When she finally pulled away, she looked for the rest of her family just in time to see Lizzie hug _Clarke_.

Josie looked down.

She struggled to act like his presence in their lives didn't bother her any longer. She succeeded for the most part.

It shouldn't bother her, right? He had _just_ saved their lives. She should be a little more grateful, shouldn't she? Well, she was…but only on the outside. On the inside, she tried, she _really_ tried to feel grateful, but she couldn't.

He hadn't done any of this for _her_. It was only for Lizzie. Why would he do anything for Josie? He had blatantly ignored her since she was forced to allow him back into her life. When he was Vardemus, he acted like her friend and her closest confidant. He had wheedled his way into making her reveal things about her darkest thoughts and insecurities to him, but it had all turned out to be a lie. He was using her. Once he got what he wanted, he didn't have any use for her any longer.

She tried not to, but she really hated him.

He never spoke directly to her and he never acknowledged her presence. He treated her like she was nothing.

At the same time, he respected Lizzie. They bickered constantly, but she knew there wasn't much attitude behind it.

Honestly, she would be happy if she could live her life never having to hear his name again. But that wasn't going to happen.

Not when Hope and Clarke were so ridiculously in love that their entire lives revolved around each other. Not when Hope and Lizzie had grown so close that Josie often felt left out.

Josie had resolved to do anything and everything she could to be a part of that friendship. She wanted to be just as close to the both of them again. Somehow she had drifted away from Lizzie when she decided to attend Mystic Falls High. She knew she drifted from Hope because of her anger at being used to help bring Clarke back. They grew further apart when Hope was on the run for the next month. Ever since they were reunited, she had pushed away all that anger just as she pushed away all her thoughts and feelings about Clarke for the sake of their friendship.

Showing blatant hatred for Hope's boyfriend wasn't going to endear her to anyone.

So, she swallowed the hate. She swallowed the need to scream and rage at them all. She wouldn't ask Lizzie how she could befriend and _hug_ someone who had helped her off the deep end into darkness—someone who was responsible for MG's turn to a vampire. She wouldn't ask Hope how she could love and sleep with someone who had manipulated one of her best friends into creating a dark object he meant to use _on_ her. And she definitely wouldn't tell Clarke exactly what she thought of him or find a way to hurt him to get her revenge.

If she did, she might find herself the odd man out.

She had been putting her best foot forward, and she would continue to do so. She would go over and join the rest of her family. She would smile and pretend to be happy and grateful.

But she wouldn't mean it.

And she definitely wouldn't hug him.

* * *

**One Month Later…**

_Darkness lies in the wolf, the vampire, the witch._

_Some may try to escape it, but it will always find them._

_The key is learning to control the darkness instead of hiding from it, scared of the moment it made its presence known._

_To embrace the darkness was to allow it to destroy you._

_Though, perhaps, love was the greatest destroyer of all._

_Well, darkness can take a break this weekend._

_My boyfriend's in town and he'll be here any minute._

_My name is Hope Mikaelson, and I'm in love with a mud man._


	2. This Is Totally All Your Fault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I own nothing but my own words._

"I can't believe he just left her!" Maya exclaimed.

"Not like it mattered," Landon said, "she could definitely handle herself."

Rafael shook his head and followed behind the cousins, smiling slightly.

A night out with Landon to the movies was never just a night out with the two of them anymore, but he was okay with that. Maya was cool.

Landon had made it clear to his newfound family that he and Rafael were a package deal. Rafael and Landon were _brothers_. It didn't matter how many aunts or cousins crawled out of the woodwork.

Rafael tended to hold himself back, still wary of new people and crowds, but he didn't mind Seylah, Sheriff Mac, or Maya. Ethan was already a friend before Landon was free of Malivore, so there was no stretch there.

Probably the only family member he didn't know how to take was the same one Landon didn't know how to take either.

Chad.

He wasn't really family, but Seylah had taken the guy under her wing, insisting on helping him. It would've been nice except Rafael knew Landon was already struggling with figuring out where he belonged now that he didn't have Hope anymore. Landon wanted to feel welcome in Seylah's new home when he wasn't at school—she had begun laying down roots in Mystic Falls to stay near her son and family—but he felt a bit like an intruder, like Seylah already had another son and Landon didn't really fit.

Rafael tried to help Landon see that Seylah was just trying to help the guy; that Seylah really did care about him so much she was willing to die for him, but Landon had always struggled with feeling like he didn't belong so it wasn't that easy to convince him.

Seylah would just have to put the work in herself.

It might be easier now that she had found Chad an actual job.

Or rather, Sheriff Mac had finally agreed to take him on after Seylah trained him a little.

Deputy Chad Wallobee reported for duty every morning bright and early at the Sheriff's Department. He was more of a gopher, doing all the less dangerous jobs that no one wanted to do—he even dressed up as Santa for a community toy drive hosted by the department. He was becoming quite the fixture in town, well liked and loved by everyone.

"Ugh, great," Landon said, stopping in his tracks and looking away.

"What?" Maya asked, looking around him.

Rafael didn't need to look. He already knew. He could feel her.

Hope.

"At least they're leaving," Landon said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

They all watched as Hope and Clarke left the Mystic Grill in their own little world, heading for the parking area.

"You know, when I first met her, I thought she was cool," Maya said.

"She was," Landon said, then corrected himself. "I mean, she _is_."

"It's okay to be angry at your ex, you know, cuz," Maya said. "I know if a girl _I_ loved ditched me for my brother, I'd be. _So_ angry."

"I'm not angry at her," Landon insisted. "I just… really miss her."

Losing Hope hadn't been easy for Landon. Rafael wouldn't have expected any less. It had completely blindsided him, coming back but losing the person he considered to be the love of his life.

Hope said she still wanted to be friends with Landon, but she was too busy catching up with school and saving the twins to even try. Rafael knew she didn't want to keep hurting Landon, but that's what she was doing.

"We can be angry at _him_ though, right?" Maya asked.

Landon shrugged. "I don't even know anymore."

That was a typical Landon response lately. Malivore had done a number on him. It was part of the reason he didn't feel like he belonged anywhere anymore. Malivore had killed a few witches, unleashed an untold number of creatures on the town and Hope, but he had no idea what else his father had done. Rafael only knew tidbits. He figured no one would ever really know the whole truth.

Landon's response now just showed how far gone he was. It wasn't that he had forgiven Clarke for all that he had done to him before, it was that either Landon or his mother wouldn't be alive if Clarke hadn't stood up to Malivore and risked dying himself.

But saving someone's life didn't reconcile stealing their girl.

"Yes," Rafael corrected. "Yes, we can be angry at him."

"Good!" Maya said.

"Raf," Landon said, giving him a look.

"What?" Rafael said. "You can't expect me not to be angry."

"Right," Landon sighed, shaking his head and resuming his walk to the diner.

Rafael winced, looking down as he followed them, listening to Maya's chatter.

If Landon wasn't angry at Hope or Clarke, Rafael shouldn't be either. But he knew Landon could read between the lines. He knew Rafael's anger wasn't for Landon's sake but for his own.

Rafael didn't know where his loyalty was supposed to lie anymore. Before, he had sworn to keep himself away from Hope because he enjoyed being near her too much and he felt like that was betraying Landon.

Now that he was a hybrid, turned because of Hope, he felt a natural pull toward her. After the final showdown with Malivore, she had explained to him that it was _her_ blood that had changed him, that had brought him back, that had saved him. And because of that, he would always be loyal to her, obeying her every word without a second thought unless he took the necessary steps to put an end to it—by turning into a wolf so many times that eventually the sire bond would break.

She promised to be very careful about the words she used around him. She had even asked if he wanted her to avoid coming near him at all.

He said no.

The natural pull drew him to her, made him unconsciously seek her out at times just in case she needed him. There was no way he would be able to resist being around her forever, which meant it was probably a good thing Hope and Landon were no longer together.

But was it really? And was it still betraying Landon to be near her, feeling the way he did about her, knowing Landon still loved her? Landon didn't act betrayed though, he acted resigned.

Landon knew Rafael was jealous of Clarke. Rafael tried to get past it, tried to forget about Hope. He had even tried to date other girls, but nothing would make his feelings for Hope go away. So every time he heard about Clarke or saw him, it made the anger he fought to constantly control rear its ugly head.

Even now, the more he looked toward the car in the parking lot where Hope and Clarke had disappeared into, the more he wondered why they hadn't pulled off yet. And the more he thought about Clarke being with the girl _he_ wanted to be with… the more he wanted to release that anger and tear something apart.

"Raf?" Maya asked, looking back at him from the curb. "You coming?"

He tore his gaze away and clamped down on the anger immediately, grateful for the interruption. He rushed to meet up with her and Landon again.

Sometimes the anger he felt scared him. He knew being a hybrid would be different from being just a wolf.

He just hadn't expected to feel so much darker on the inside than before.

* * *

"Please?" Hope asked hopefully, giving him her best 'puppy dog eyes' look.

Clarke sighed deeply, clicking his seatbelt closed and starting the car.

"Go to a dance with a bunch of teenagers bumping and grinding, most of whom I actually taught at one time?" he asked.

"Yep!" she said, grinning.

Clarke was about as far from high school as one could get. He never actually went to one himself, and he had his fill of the place when he was running it. Now that he was the CEO of a secret organization contracted through the government, going to a high school dance wasn't exactly at the top of his list of things he wanted to do.

"I thought you didn't like holidays any longer, especially not Valentine's?" he remembered.

"As long as Cupid's evil brother doesn't show up and try to eat all the hearts, I'm good," Hope said. "It's just a silly Sweetheart Dance, I know, but hey…" She nudged him. "You're my sweetheart."

 _Well, when you put it that way_ , he sighed. "Fine. _If_ I can get away."

"It's not 'til next month, but I figured if I asked far enough in advance, you could clear your schedule for it," Hope said

He could, and he _would_ , but if he was on a mission, there was every chance he wouldn't get back in time.

"I'll do my best," he said.

"I mean, don't you _want_ to bump and grind with me?" she teased.

"Do I need to answer that," he asked, smirking at her.

"No, not really," she grinned, leaning in close, having not buckled her seatbelt yet.

She reached up and trailed her middle and index finger down the side of his face just like always. He leaned into her hand, then grasped it and pulled her closer to him.

"Though I'm more partial to slow dances myself," he murmured.

He kissed her gently, a soft 'hello' that said how much he missed her this past week.

She pulled back and whispered, "I'm good with both." Then she leaned back up and kissed him with more fervor than he had shown.

Clarke lost himself in her mouth. He didn't think he would ever get used to this, being able to kiss her, touch her, hold her. Sometimes he wondered if he had been dreaming since the first time she kissed him, but it was all true. Hope Mikaelson loved him, and he loved her. She was his purpose, his heart, and he was going to spend the rest of his life with her.

He murmured against her lips, "Does this answer the question of where we're going next?"

"Uh huh," she nodded, still kissing him, running her fingers through his hair. "Let's go home."

 _Home_. He had given her that, a home with _him_. She never called the Salvatore school 'home' anymore. Her home was with him, in the apartment he had gotten for _them_.

She didn't get to stay there as often as she wanted, the school had a lot of rules about students abusing their off campus privileges, but she had enthusiastically dove into furnishing and decorating the place. She was constantly emailing him things to ask his opinion. He moved some of his own things up from Georgia but most of that was personal items. The furniture, she had enough fun with that. It also helped with them being apart, having something that was _theirs_ to discuss instead of school or work.

When he was in town, he just wanted to spend time with her. They didn't usually go out to dinner like they had tonight, usually he got in town early enough to make dinner for them himself. He preferred it like it was when they were on the run, just the two of them, forgetting about the outside world. And while they spent time together, he never assumed they would end up in bed every time he visited. Did he want her? Yes, every day, every hour, but he still always let her take the lead there. Over two months later, and he still was just as content to hold her as he was to make love to her.

It was already late, so the only reason to go 'home' instead of taking her back to the school meant that she was definitely feeling frisky that night. It also meant he would have to get her back to school by curfew after that, but he was definitely down…or should he say up… for it.

He gave her one last kiss, and then pulled back with a grin, biting his lip slightly. "Home, it is."

* * *

The second he opened the apartment door, Hope barely gave him time to get inside before she was on him.

She had missed him something fierce that week, and she had a surprise of her own for him that night which she couldn't wait to share. But wait she would, just a little longer.

He backed into the door, closing it, while leaning down to her kiss. She grasped her arms around his neck and jumped up. He didn't disappoint as he reached down and around, grasping her behind as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He paused only long enough to lock the door before he was walking with her to the bedroom, kissing her the entire time.

When her back touched the bed, with him leaning down over her, she began to undo the buttons on his shirt. He took over, scrambling to finish and shrug it off his shoulders. She pulled her own shirt up and over her head, then worked on his belt while he pulled his t-shirt up and off. He took over once again to finish undressing, and she rushed to get the rest of her own clothes removed.

She felt like she had been waiting forever to touch him again.

Finally free from all the clothes, she scooted back so she wasn't hanging half off the bed, and he crawled up to join her, lying between her thighs, taking her mouth again with his. She gasped, feeling him rub himself against her where she was most aching for him.

She tried to wrap her legs around him, to draw him in closer, but he pulled back, kissing his way down to her stomach. She dropped her legs with a moan.

As he bit gently at the skin before licking and sucking, his fingers trailed down further until he found her and he slid his thumb up until it was pressing against her most sensitive spot.

Her hips jerked up and she moaned, "Ryan…"

With his thumb firmly in place, he reached and slid two fingers inside of her. She cried out and grabbed at his head, needing something to hold onto as his mouth worked its magic on her stomach and his fingers worked their magic inside of her.

When his head moved further down, she had to let go and grab hold of the covers. He used both thumbs to spread her open and then his tongue took the place his thumb had just vacated.

She practically screamed his name then, the pleasure engulfing her, "Ryan!"

He would've grinned if his mouth wasn't already occupied spelling his name out against her with his tongue. He loved all the sounds she made when he pleasured her, almost as much as he loved the taste of her.

Her hips moved gently against him, trying not to move too much even though his fingers were still inside of her, moving in and out, as his tongue slid against her. The pressure kept building though, and suddenly she was falling apart way too soon.

Crying out, she clenched against him, feeling like she was floundering, moaning and shivering as he continued on as if she hadn't just finished. "Ohhh, Ryan, please…" She wanted to feel him inside of her, but she loved what he was doing so much. "Come here…"

He finally let go and pulled his fingers out, kissing his way back up until he was mouthing at her neck and reaching over to the nightstand to take out protection.

Palming it, he pulled back, but stopped when she reached for it. Grinning, he rolled onto his back, taking her with him. That usually meant _she_ wanted to have the honor of rolling it on.

Sliding into place on top of him, she held up the packet then tossed it to the side with a smirk. 

"It's been over a month."

He stared up at her, trying to comprehend what she was saying in the midst of his pleasure filled fog.

She waited for him to catch up. She had done exactly what she said she would and gotten on birth control when she got back to Mystic Falls. Doctor Salvatore had reassured her that what she was taking was just as effective for a tribrid. She had been instructed that it was best to wait at least a month after starting the pill to have unprotected sex. She took it daily, being extra sure she _never_ forgot. She knew how much he wanted to be skin to skin with her. She might not be ready to have a kid—and she still wasn't sure she would ever _be_ ready—but she could give him this.

He knew about the wait, time must have slipped his mind because he had been too busy.

She knew the moment he understood because his gaze darkened and then he flipped her back over. He hovered above her, staring down, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she nodded, reaching up to caress the side of his face, loving him so much for always thinking about her, always wanting to protect her.

He didn't need to hear anymore than that. He shifted to reach down between them, and she spread her legs even further apart, excited for this next part too.

Barely breathing, he lined himself up. He had been waiting for this for so long—the moment he got to be completely with her, no thin barrier between them.

Heat met heat as he pushed inside of her, driving himself deep, so deep, and then he was the one moaning and burying his face into her neck. He could stay like this forever.

She trailed her fingers down his back until she reached his hips. Grabbing hold, she drew her knees up on either side of him, moaning out as he sank deeper within her.

"Turn over?" she suggested.

"Oh no," he murmured into her neck, holding onto his control, "this one is all me."

"But you've been doing all the work," she teased.

"Not that you mind," he finally moved to smirk at her.

"Not really," she returned the smirk as she slid her hands from his hips to his behind, pulling him firmly against her.

He stopped her movements by kissing her once more and then he pulled back slightly before pushing forward inside of her again.

She moaned into his mouth and her hands found his back this time, gripping hold as he began to move. Hovering over her, his mouth moved from hers and his hands planted on either side of her, his pace picking up more speed with every thrust.

His eyes glazed over as he lost himself in her, staring at her sight unseen, focusing on the feel of her.

She shouldn't be surprised at how quickly he had gotten her hot again. He knew all the right ways to touch her. Feeling him inside of her, knowing it was just him and nothing else, she was melting. She felt like she was on fire.

Her nails clawed at his back as he slammed into her over and over again, feeling like he was trying to get as deep as possible. Whatever he was trying to do, she didn't want it to end, not when it felt this good. But all good things had to come to an end, especially when the fire threatening to engulf her exploded inside and she came with a shriek, digging her nails into his skin.

Hearing her, he allowed himself to lose control—this was the part he was most waiting for. The part when he finally released his pleasure deep inside of her. Groaning, he thrust erratically until he came, slamming as deep as he could when he did. Sheer bliss greeted him when he realized this was the first time he wouldn't have to immediately pull away from her. He could lie like this, stay inside of her, until he had to pull out…or until they were ready to go again.

"Love you so much," he managed to gasp out.

Reeling from the feel of everything, loving that he hadn't pulled away like always, she could barely move but she did enough to run a hand through his hair, smiling softly up at him and whispering, "Love you always."

After the long week, they fell asleep wrapped up in each other, neither wanting to leave the other's side. He knew he needed to get her back to school, but he couldn't resist the need to sleep with her once again through the night.

When she awoke the next morning, she knew immediately she screwed up.

"Crap."

Her voice woke him, but he just tugged her close.

"Ryan, we fell asleep," she said, trying to move away.

"Might as well make the most of it," he murmured, reaching to trace a finger down the side of her breast. "Hmm?"

"I…" she looked at him and was unable to resist, "I'm going to be in so much trouble if I'm caught."

"So, don't get caught," he said, rolling on top of her and immediately sliding home inside of her.

"Oh!" she moaned, not expecting him that soon, but she had practically woken up ready to have him again. "If I do, it's your fault."

He smirked at her along with a quick thrust, making her squeak. "How much do you want it?"

"Oh, so much," she said, pushing him over to his back and rising to straddle him, taking him inside of her again.

"Tell me again how it's _my_ fault?" he groaned out as she began moving on top of him.

She didn't bother responding, she was too focused on seeking the pleasure only he could bring her.

She was definitely going to be screwed this morning, but hopefully it was only just _this_ once.

* * *

Making herself invisible and carrying her boots, she tried to sneak in without anyone the wiser. She never should've signed up for a Saturday morning yoga class with the twins. She could've stayed at home with Ryan all day and hopefully no one would notice her absence.

But she _had_ signed up because she wasn't supposed to stay the night off campus, so she figured she _would_ be there to take the class. Then she could go back off campus and spend the day with Ryan when he was in town.

Seeing Doctor Saltzman sitting in a comfy chair with his morning paper, she held her breath being _very_ careful about making any noise as she snuck by.

"Good morning," he said, still looking down at his paper.

She froze. How in the world would he know she was here? She was supposed to be invisible. She looked around, wondering if he was talking to someone else.

"Oh, I'm talking to you, Hope," he said, putting the paper down and pointing to a crystal on the table. "If you were caught up in your crystals class, you'd know exactly what that is and why your invisible spell doesn't work with it."

Groaning, she dropped the spell. "Um… good morning?" she said hopefully.

"You were out all night," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

She opened her mouth to try to make up an excuse.

"And before you play the 'I'm eighteen' or the 'you're not my father' card," he interrupted her, holding up a hand. "I will remind you that this is a school with a _curfew_ and you broke the rules."

Admitting defeat, she looked down and said, "It won't happen again."

"I know it won't because your off-campus privileges have been revoked for a month," he said firmly.

Her head swung up in shock, eyes wide, "But—!"

"Your headmaster has spoken," he said, standing up.

"You just don't like him," she couldn't resist saying, her panic warring with her frustration.

"Hope," he shook his head. "I don't care who you date. As long as you're a student at this school, you're my responsibility which means you follow the rules. Plus, you've got a _lot_ of school work to catch up on if you want to graduate on time. You _do_ want to graduate, don't you?"

"Yes," she said, sighing. "And I _will_. I've been working hard Doctor Saltzman, I swear!"

"Good, then maybe the extra time spent on campus will ensure that even more," he said, picking up his paper and his coffee. "Have a good day then. _On_ campus."

Alyssa came in just then, dressed in her usual morning jogging outfit, clearly returning from her run.

"Oh great, you found her," Alyssa said to Doctor Saltzman, giving Hope a smirk. "I should've known she'd turn up, I just _couldn't_ help but worry when I saw her bed hadn't been slept in," she finished sweetly.

Hope glared at her. No wonder Doctor Saltzman had been lying in wait.

"Argh!" she groaned out in frustration then stalked off to her room. Why, oh _why_ , couldn't she still have a single!?

And how exactly was she going to get through a month of not seeing Ryan!?

* * *

"Breathe in."

Hope tried to calm down enough to do as she was instructed.

The class was supposed to be balancing on one leg with the other raised to the side and bent at the knee. Hands were pressed flat against each other, pulled to the chest.

It was a basic yoga pose for beginners, which is what they all were.

"Breathe out."

Caroline had been making changes to the curriculum for the semester but classes like yoga were all extra. It was something to help the students get exercise and free their minds at the same time.

Mostly, Hope figured she added it for Lizzie, to help with the blonde's continuous search to improve her mental health—which was why Hope had agreed to take the class with her.

But finding an inner peace right now was _kind_ of hard to do when her roommate was two mats away and it was all she could do not to stalk over and make her fall from her perfectly balanced perch.

Hope nearly toppled over and had to put her foot down to steady herself.

"Hope, clear your mind and focus on your balance," the instructor said.

Nodding quickly, she tried the pose again.

"Calm down," Josie said quietly from her pose. "If you keep letting her get to you, it only gives her more power."

"I'd like to show her exactly who has more power," Hope said through clenched teeth.

"Ladies, please," Lizzie said, trying to maintain her stance while projecting as much positivity as possible. "Let's focus on resting our troubled waters instead of rocking the boat."

"Why don't you focus for the both of us?" Hope asked sharply.

"Stop blaming her," Lizzie said. " _You_ broke the rules."

"Whose side are you on?" Hope asked.

"Yours," Josie said quickly. "But she's right. You knew you could get in trouble but you broke the rules anyway."

"And now you get to deal with the consequences," Lizzie said harmoniously.

"We fell asleep," Hope said tiredly. "It happens."

"I thought he didn't need to sleep?" Lizzie asked.

"He…doesn't," Hope admitted. She knew he did it on purpose so he could sleep with her. Well, he would definitely regret that mistake. She hadn't had time to call and let him know yet. She had to run to her room to shower and throw on her work out clothes. She made it to class right as it started. After this, she still needed to get breakfast because she was starving. _Then_ she would finally be able to call and clue him in.

"So, is it really Alyssa's fault?" Lizzie asked.

"Stop with the logic," Hope said. "I hate logic. And she didn't have to _tell_ Doctor Saltzman."

"How long have we known Alyssa Chang?" Josie asked. "It's not like this is anything new for her."

"Besides," Lizzie said. "What if something really _had_ happened to you? Wouldn't it be better that she told someone? Not like _you_ told anyone you wouldn't be back last night."

"Now raise your arms in the air above your head, keeping your hands together," the instructor said.

The girls all struggled to do as she said, trying to maintain their balance at the same time.

"How much longer is this class?" Hope asked. "The quest for inner peace isn't what my soul needs right now. I need to punch something."

"Aren't you sparring with Rafael and Ethan later?" Josie asked.

"That's tomorrow," Hope said.

Lizzie tried to keep a firm smile in place as she said, "Well, move it up to today. Not like you've got anything better to do."

"Ethan's not here," Hope said. "He's spending the day at home."

"Then just spar with Raf," Josie suggested.

Hope gave her a look.

"What?" Lizzie asked, seeing the look.

"Raf's been different since he turned," Hope said. "It's not that I don't want to be around him, it's just that…"

"He's still into you, isn't he?" Lizzie asked, smirking. "Of course."

"Its fine, he's fine," Hope said, shaking her head. "I just like it better when Ethan's there too."

Rafael _was_ still into her, but whereas before he purposefully stayed away from her out of respect for Landon, he had absolutely no respect for Ryan. She knew he enjoyed being around her a little too much and while it was her responsibility to help him, she wasn't going to disrespect Ryan by spending alone time with someone she knew liked her. She would only spar with Rafael when someone else was around. She was very firm about that.

"Then punch something else?" Josie suggested.

"I wonder what Kaleb's doing?" Hope wondered aloud.

* * *

"You can't be serious."

Hope closed her eyes, wincing.

"I wish I wasn't."

Clarke painfully gripped his phone against his ear, his involuntary response to finding out why she hadn't come back to the apartment by noon as she said she would.

"He can't just—"

"He _can_ , Ryan," she said. "Being who I am doesn't give me a free pass. I have to follow the rules. And I wasn't supposed to stay out all night. You _knew_ that."

"Yeah, but…" he wanted to throw something. It was bad enough he couldn't see her every day like he wanted. Now he couldn't even see her outside of the school for a _month_?

"There's always the dance?" she offered.

"Right," he scoffed. The Valentine's dance was in mid-February and it was still January. Even then, they wouldn't be alone.

"I'll call you every day?" she said.

"You do already," he said. "How am I supposed to go that long without seeing you?"

"I've been asking myself the same question," she sighed.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, contemplating going to the school and telling Alaric Saltzman where he could shove his rules.

"I'll think of something," she said. "Maybe you can just visit here?"

"You know he follows us around the entire time whenever I do," he said, remembering the first and _only_ time he visited her on campus. Alaric may be glad he helped his daughters, but he still didn't like him around the school. Clarke figured the headmaster had given up on keeping him and Hope apart, but everything else was still fair game. Given up until _today_ , that was. At least it was only for a month and not the rest of the semester.

"It's better than nothing?" she said.

"True," he would give her that.

"I love you, Ryan," she said.

"I love you, Hope," he replied immediately.

"Oh, and hey, Ryan?"

"Yeah?"

"This is totally all your fault."


	3. I'm Worried About Lizzie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I own nothing but my own words._
> 
>   
> credit: [@hopeforhopan_](https://instagram.com/hopeforhopan_?igshid=5nwljukhxolu)

"I know it's only been two weeks, but—"

"No."

"You didn't even hear what I was going to say," Hope exclaimed.

"It doesn't take a genius," Alaric said.

"I need to take my driving test," Hope said anyway. "Can he take me tomorrow?"

Alaric gave her a look.

"What?" Hope said. "When he's in town, he let's me practice. Since I'm caught up on my crystals class now, can't I get away for a few hours to get my license? It's another one of those rite of passage things, right?"

He sighed, "I guess." He didn't have time tomorrow or he would take her himself.

"Thank you!" she smiled.

"But you are to come right back here afterwards," he insisted. "You still have to catch up on history and three others."

"We will!" she said, grinning as she ran off to call Ryan.

Fortunately—or unfortunately, however you chose to look at it—Ryan hadn't been able to get away from work the previous weekend so she hadn't needed to figure out a way to see him. All she had to do was figure out something _this_ weekend, and then next weekend would be the dance. She would only have one more weekend after that to suffer through without him and voila! Their month of misery would be over and she _still_ would've seen him at least two out of four weeks.

For tonight, she had a paper to finish for that history class Doctor Saltzman mentioned, but first, she had to work off some pent up energy.

* * *

Sparring with Rafael and Ethan at the same time had actually been Ethan's idea, but she had come to appreciate it.

She had much more fun taking on the both of them at once than she would fighting them individually.

Ethan had definitely been a godsend, and he was turning out to be one of her favorite family members.

He had taken the news that they were related surprisingly well. She explained that the crescent shape on his shoulder wasn't the same for all Crescent wolves, only ones born of the royal werewolf bloodline called Labonair. It was the same line she and her mother were born from. It was believed they were the last of that line, which was why The Hollow had come after them, but apparently there was another. She figured The Hollow just didn't bother with him because Hope had all the power. Ethan was only a werewolf and couldn't be used against The Hollow because no one even knew he existed.

Since her mother's family Bible didn't help, she combed through Grandma Mary's books which included the births of all Crescents. She researched during Christmas break until she found mention of a Max Machado. He was the son of Tomas and Geraldine Machado, who was the daughter of Darlene Knell. Darlene had given birth to Geraldine out of wedlock and never revealed the name of the father.

Judging by the birthmark, Darlene's father had to be one of the Labonairs living at the time, which could've been either Hope's great grandfather or a great uncle. Either way, Darlene must have kept the truth hidden from the pack. Much had befallen Labonairs through the years and they had many enemies even amongst the wolves, so keeping her child's lineage hidden might have actually saved her life.

No doubt, Darlene had insisted Geraldine keep the secret, and Geraldine in turn had insisted the same of Max, especially after the New Orleans vampires had turned on the Crescent wolves resulting in the all out war that killed Hope's grandparents and seen her mother given up for adoption as a baby.

Since Max's mother was related to the Labonairs, Max's father must have been the parent ascended from the werewolf line that created Malivore.

Ethan definitely had one hell of a family history.

Having him for a cousin was great, but it _was_ slightly weird considering Ethan was also Landon's cousin from his mother's side. It made Hope less inclined to meet up with her cousin's family because she didn't want to encroach on Landon's family time, not when he finally _had_ a family.

Ethan spent most of his time at school anyway, so she mostly talked to him then. It wasn't like she had a lot of time for much else anyway. Between Ryan, school, and the twins, her life was pretty jam packed.

If the forces of evil could just wait until after graduation to make a re-appearance, she would be able to catch up on everything and graduate on time. That was her goal anyway!

"Hey, Hope," Ethan arrived, carrying a long stick, his gloves, and a water bottle.

"Ready to knock me down today?" she asked.

"Gonna give it my best shot," he said, putting the bottle on a bench.

She grinned. He would try, but he would probably fail. She didn't use any magic while training with the guys, only her wolf strength. It was best for Ethan to train with her instead of the other wolves. He wasn't a hybrid like Rafael, but Crescent wolves had hybrid-like abilities due to her mother marrying the pack alpha—Jackson Kenner. They followed a ritual that allowed certain abilities of her being a hybrid to be shared within the pack—turning at will being one of them. It also made Ethan's senses heighten much like a vampire, and gave him even more strength which gave him a distinct advantage over all other wolves.

Hence, the reason it was best he train with her too.

"Hey, guys," Rafael said, showing up with his own stick and gloves.

"Just in time," Hope said, settling into a fight position, stick at the ready. "Ready?"

Both boys went to attack and Hope grinned as she prepared to kick both their asses.

Ethan came at her from the left while Rafael did from the right.

She shoved her stick up in the air horizontally with both arms, blocking Rafael's downward movement. She pushed up, using the momentum to throw him off balance before she swung the stick around in time to clash against Ethan's like swords.

Kicking forward, she connected with Ethan who stumbled back. Sensing movement behind her, she swung around, dropping low and tried to use the stick to trip Rafael.

On the lookout for that move, Rafael jumped over the stick then tried to bring the stick down on her head. She pounced out of the way, and then spun back around to meet Ethan's next attack. Their sticks clashed back and forth, her backing up to allow him to feel like he was getting somewhere, but mostly she was moving away from Rafael so she could see his next attack coming.

Seeing her next attack in _her_ mind's eye, she changed tactics with Ethan, hitting his stick so hard he lost his grip, and then she tripped him easily, leaving him to sprawl on his back.

Grinning, she went running toward Rafael who was ready for her but still didn't expect her to slam the point of one end of the stick straight down against the ground and catapult her legs in a flying kick right into his gut.

The force of her legs had _him_ flying backwards and landing on his back too.

"Damn," Rafael said, breathing deeply after having the wind knocked out of him.

"Want to go again?" she asked them.

"How about hand-to-hand instead?" Ethan said, standing up and shaking his head. "I'm still shaky with the stick."

"You'll get there," she said. "Look at Raf. He's getting better."

"Right," Rafael laughed.

She reached down to grab his hand. "Sorry if that was too much."

He pulled himself up but then tripped her and she went sprawling.

"Apology accepted," he grinned.

She rolled her eyes. "Cheap shot."

"Might be the only time we take you down today," Rafael said.

" _Might_ be," she scoffed, jumping to her feet. "Definitely _will_ be."

"Ooh," Ethan said to Rafael. "Those are fightin' words."

She went over and grabbed her gloves.

"Suit up," she grinned. "Time for the fun part."

After, once again, kicking their asses, she grabbed her water bottle for a much needed drink.

"Try again tomorrow?" Ethan asked, unhooking his gloves while slightly panting.

"Can't," she shook her head.

"Ryan in town?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah," she nodded her head and picked up her equipment.

"I thought you were grounded," Rafael said.

He _had_ been feeling pretty good about this workout session, getting a lot of aggression out. Hearing that she was stuck at school for a month _away_ from Clarke had calmed him down. Now, he was anything but calm. Hearing _that_ name, knowing she was going to see Clarke tomorrow, brought his mounting anger rushing back again.

"Just leaving for a few hours," she said. "Getting my license."

"Oh cool," Ethan said. "I didn't think most of the kids here knew how to drive."

"They don't," she shrugged and motioned toward the school, indicating he should walk with her. "Ryan taught me a few months ago. Don't get much practice, but I've got it figured out well enough."

"If you need to practice anymore, there's always my truck," Ethan offered. "You know, when he's not in town."

"Thanks!" she said. "That'd be great."

Rafael followed them back to the school listening to them talk about Clarke and driving, not having any other choice. He would just have to go to the gym before dinner, see if he could get some hits in on the punching bag.

Something told him it was going to take a whole lot of hits to relieve the aggression this time.

* * *

Saturday arrived and Hope was waiting by the gate for Ryan after yoga class, ready to be _free_ for a few hours at least.

When he drove up, she barely gave him time to stop before she opened the passenger door and hopped in.

" _Finally_ ," she said, leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Freedom!"

"Let's get out of here," he put the car in reverse and drove off.

Within minutes, she realized something was up. "This isn't the way into town."

"I know."

"Ryan…where are we going?" She didn't want to get in any more trouble.

"Well, I figure I _could_ take you to the test, but then we'd waste a perfectly good afternoon that we could spend alone," he shrugged. "This way, we just say you failed the test."

"That I _what?_ " she frowned. Admittedly, she hadn't really been in any big rush to get the license since she didn't have a car and didn't need one yet, but it had still been a really good excuse to get away into town for a while.

"So if he ever does this again, we can use the excuse again to get away," he said. "You can't help it if you fail and have to try again, right?"

"Or… I could go take the test, _pass_ it because you're a good teacher, and then go back to school before I get in trouble again and have to extend my prison sentence?" she suggested.

"Do you _really_ want to spend the day sitting at the department of motor vehicles unable to do anything but people watch and grow more bored by the minute?"

"The alternative being?"

"Anywhere but here?" he said.

"No," she said firmly. "If you don't want to go to the test, that's fine, but then I have to stay on campus. I'm not having another month added to my punishment— _our_ punishment."

"Come on," he encouraged, giving _his_ best puppy dog eyes.

She rolled her eyes. " _On_ campus. Just drive around to the back, deep in the wooded area, okay? That way we're still on campus, but away from prying eyes and snooping headmasters."

"It's freezing outside," he said, even as he sighed and changed direction to do what she said.

"Luckily, I'm a witch," she said. "I can control the weather."

The place she found after they stopped actually had a gorgeous view.

Fortunately he still had a blanket in the car from the last time they went out by the falls, so he spread it out while she worked to heat the air around them, being careful not to mess with the temperature _too_ much, just enough to make it bearable. She warmed up the ground beneath the blanket too.

"Perfect," she said, sitting down on the blanket, feeling the warmth from beneath. "Perks of dating me."

He sat down then stretched out on one side. "That _is_ a nifty trick."

She giggled and crawled up to lay with him, snuggling her back against his front as he wrapped his arms around her. It had been two weeks since she could lie in his arms. She was going to take advantage of it while she could.

"This is a nice spot," she said, looking around.

"Mm hmm," he murmured into her hair.

"You know, I look at things a little differently now, knowing that what created everything we see is also your mother," Hope murmured back.

"I still see it the same," he said.

"Do you think she gets upset whenever I mess with the weather?" she asked.

"I think she's used to witches doing what they will," he said. "You never use black magic when you do it, so I think you're good."

"Good," she said. "Far be it for me to upset Mother Nature."

"I've never seen her upset," he said. "But then, I'm still getting to know her."

" _Does_ she get upset?" she asked. "I mean, she seems so peaceful and just, like… _earth_. What would it take to upset her?"

"I don't think she's too keen on black magic," he answered.

"Being an almost vampire _and_ a werewolf _and_ a descendant of a witch who used black magic to create my family, I'm pretty much as upsetting as it can get for her," she said. "Guess you can forget about asking if she'll visit me."

"She likes you," he said.

"Really?" she pulled back to look at him. "You never mentioned that before."

"She knows how I feel about you," he said. "In fact, that's probably the only time I _did_ see an emotion from her. I asked if my still being alive meant I could be with you. She smiled."

"Your mother likes me," smiling, she turned back around and snuggled into his embrace. "Huh."

"I guess she likes me too," he said. "Or she wouldn't have tried to reach me all these years…"

Hearing his voice trail off, she got the feeling there was something he wasn't saying.

"Ryan?" She shifted and turned around completely in his arms, deciding she wanted to face him for the rest of this conversation. "What's wrong?"

"I knew what he wanted from me," he said. "I couldn't give him what he wanted so I tried to do anything else to win his approval."

"Your father was an ass who didn't deserve you, though I'm very glad he created you," she said. She rested a hand on his chest, giving some comfort, encouraging him to continue.

"I don't know what she wants," he said. "She hasn't asked for anything. She hasn't indicated anything I have to do to win her over."

"Because you don't," she said. "Malivore was different. It doesn't work like that. A parent should love you for who you are, not for what they want you to be."

"But what of everything I've already done? I guess I can be excused for it since I didn't know about her," he said. "But what about now? I'm doing what I want. Should I be doing something different? What if I screw everything up and she decides she doesn't want me just like he did?"

"Ryan," she reached up and stroked down the side of his face. "You're not listening to me. She loves you for the way you _are_. She doesn't want you to change. _I_ don't want you to change."

"Right," he nodded, trying to convince himself. "You sound so sure."

"You know, you could always ask her?" she said. "She made sure you could always contact her for a reason."

"She never comes right out and answers anything, you know that," he said. "She always replies in a roundabout way. She's my mother, not my oracle—those are her words, not mine."

"You wouldn't be asking her about the future, or what could happen," she said. "You'll be asking her what any child needs to know from their parent. Is their love unconditional?"

"What if it isn't?" he asked.

"I don't think she spent eight hundred years hoping for a way to reach you just to say, _nah_ , after a couple of months," she said. "Give her a chance. If she can like _me_ , I'm sure she has no problem loving you."

He nodded, but he still wasn't sure.

It was hard to believe that he could have a parent like she described, especially after centuries of one like Malivore.

Maybe one day he would work up the nerve to ask his mother, but for now, he'd wait.

He never claimed to be that brave. In this, he definitely wasn't.

* * *

When they returned to the school a couple hours later, Hope nervously fixed her hair seeing Doctor Saltzman waiting for them. They only made out—Hope wasn't comfortable doing anything else out in the open—but she knew her hair was probably a mess.

"How's it look?"

He smirked. "Perfect." She looked perfectly rumpled in every way. It didn't matter how straight her hair was, Alaric would immediately know what she had been up to. Not that it was any of his business.

Putting the car into park, he watched the headmaster approach the vehicle.

Hope leaned over and kissed him quickly. 

"I'll see you next week! Love you!"

She pushed the door open just as Doctor Saltzman arrived.

"Hi!" she said with a quick wave before jumping out and bee-lining for the front door.

"Hope," Alaric said with a nod, taking hold of the door before it closed behind her. He didn't bother stopping her; she wasn't the one he wanted to talk to.

Clarke sighed when the man didn't close the door.

"And Clarke," Alaric looked inside with a smile that said he knew something Clarke didn't. "How'd the test go?"

"She failed," Clarke said quickly, going back to his original excuse.

"That's too bad," Alaric shook his head. "Not that I'm surprised since you never bothered showing up at the testing site to begin with."

"What's your problem?" Clarke said, a bit angry now. Did the man have nothing better to do?

"My problem is you don't seem to understand the importance of her catching up with her studies," Alaric said. "My problem is she just _lied_ to me because of you."

"She didn't lie," Clarke was quick to correct him. "I just didn't take her."

"Then she should've made you come back here," Alaric said.

"She did," Clarke said. "We stayed on part of campus where nosy headmasters wouldn't interrupt."

Alaric wasn't impressed with that excuse. "And you did it for much longer than the test would've taken."

"She's not on house arrest," Clarke said.

"No," Alaric crossed his arms. "But she wants to catch up because she wants to graduate. It's important to her, so it should be important to you too."

"Who said it wasn't?" Clarke asked.

"Keeping her out all night? Constantly distracting her? She has her classes for _this_ semester on top of catching up on all the ones from _last_ semester," Alaric stressed.

"I'm not going to stop seeing her," Clarke glared.

"I'm not asking you to," Alaric said. "I'm asking you to support what she wants."

"I do," Clarke said, tight lipped. He arranged his entire life so that it revolved around _her_ and what _she_ wanted. She wanted to finish high school, so he got them a place nearby and did his best to see her on the weekends. When she went to college, he would do the same damn thing though at least she would be able to live at whatever apartment he found for them then. He was looking at a future of 'weekends only' for four years since Triad's base of operations was nowhere near any college she was looking at. And he would do it for _her_. So don't tell him he wasn't being supportive.

He was hoping for a lot of online classes though, as well as working remotely eventually once he had everything at Triad set up the way he wanted.

"Taking up her entire weekend when it's the best time for her to catch up doesn't really spell supportive," Alaric said.

"Are you done?" Clarke asked, frustrated, indicating the door. He had about enough of this. He saved the man's daughters, for crying out loud. He could damn well give him and Hope a break every once in a while.

"You know, I could revoke her off-campus privileges for the rest of the term," Alaric threatened.

Clarke was dangerously close to punching him.

Fortunately, Caroline popped up next to Alaric, nudging him out of the way and leaning into the car.

"Ryan! So great to see you again," Caroline said with a welcoming smile.

Switching gears wasn't that easy for him, especially when he was so angry, but he gave her a nod. There was no way he would be able to force a smile.

"Don't worry about all that off-campus stuff," she said. "Ric was just kidding."

"I what?" Alaric said from behind her.

"Join us for dinner tonight," Caroline insisted. "Hope will be there."

" _What_?" Alaric said again, shaking his head.

"What time?" Clarke asked. If it meant spending more time with Hope, he wouldn't say no.

"Around five?" Caroline looked at the time on the dashboard. "Don't bother leaving, you'd just have to turn around and come back. Go ahead and park. I'll let Hope know. Dinner's in the headmaster quarters. I assume you remember where those are?"

"I do," he suddenly felt like smirking, seeing the look on Alaric's face.

"Great!" she said. "See you then!"

She backed out of the car and closed the door, waving him off.

"Please don't tell me you did that for the reason I think you did?" Alaric asked.

Caroline turned and started back to the school.

"Because you were being completely irrational?" Caroline asked. "You know that girl is working herself to death to get caught up. If she wants to spend some down time with her boyfriend, _let her_." Hope shouldn't have stayed out overnight, so her punishment was reasonable, but Ric was _not_ going to add onto her punishment when she hadn't done anything wrong.

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it," Ric said, following behind her, smiling tightly at a couple of students as they passed by.

She turned and smiled at him. "I guess you'll just find out after dinner. I need to find Hope."

"Caroline," Ric said, reaching out to touch her arm, stopping her. "I thought we decided not to—"

"No, _we_ both thought it was a good idea," Caroline said. " _You_ just didn't want him involved."

"I still don't," he said.

"I'm asking him anyway," she said.

"He's not a good guy," Alaric insisted. "You _know_ everything he's done."

"Says the guy whose best friend is Damon Salvatore?" Caroline raised an eyebrow.

He winced. "Point taken. But still. Have you even thought about Josie in all of this?"

"Josie?" Caroline asked. "Why would any of this matter to her?"

"Clarke was kind of responsible for getting her mixed up in black magic? Or did that slip your mind?" Alaric asked.

"But she seemed fine with him in New Orleans," Caroline said.

"You didn't see her before all of that," he said. "When Lizzie and Hope managed to purge all of the darkness out of her, she was scared of her own shadow thinking he was gonna try something again. I'm pretty sure he's the reason she ultimately decided to remove her magic. He manipulated her and used her. And you just invited him for dinner."

Caroline frowned.

"I'll talk to her about it… and if she doesn't feel comfortable coming to dinner, she doesn't have to," she said.

"We really shouldn't get involved with him," he said. "I'm glad he helped the girls, but that doesn't give him a free pass on everything else."

"I said, I'd talk to Josie," she said, thinking. Then she sighed. "You're right though. If Josie doesn't want him around, I won't ask him. We'll just have dinner and say goodnight."

* * *

"Girls?" Caroline knocked on the open door. She had already found Hope and sent her after Ryan. Now she needed to speak with Josie.

"Hi, Mom," Lizzie said, brushing her hair in the mirror.

"Mom, what's up?" Josie asked, putting her pencil down.

"So I wanted to tell you that I invited Ryan and Hope to dinner tonight," Caroline said. She had reinstated mandatory family dinners at least once a week since she came back home. She would rather they get together as a family than go to the dining hall.

"Okay?" Lizzie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I wanted to ask how you felt about that," Caroline said.

Lizzie shrugged. "It's dinner."

"Josie?" Caroline asked.

"Like Lizzie said," Josie said. "It's just dinner." She groaned on the inside.

"Are you sure?" Caroline asked. "Because you don't have to go if he makes you uncomfortable."

"Why would he make me uncomfortable?" Josie asked, shifting. She would give anything not to go to dinner, but she didn't want Lizzie or Hope to think that she still held a grudge against him. It would make thinks awkward between them, and she was working hard to keep the both of them happy. So far, she had succeeded.

"Yeah," Lizzie said. "I mean, he's the reason we don't have to merge. He's not so bad."

"Right," Josie nodded. That was all she was capable of saying. Fortunately, her mother didn't prod further.

"Great!" Caroline said, smiling. "Dinner at five!"

"We know," they said in unison.

* * *

Josie was beginning to regret her decision to come to dinner.

He was ignoring her as usual, and he was sitting right across from her. She was sitting next to Lizzie on one side of the table, with Hope across from her. Mom and Dad were sitting at either end of the table, with Dad next to her.

Her mother actually _hugged_ Clarke. It was very clear she didn't hold any ill will toward him for anything, not even tricking everyone into thinking he was headmaster. At least her father was still wary of him.

She purposefully didn't say anything to him either, which meant she spent the majority of dinner speaking few words since Mom and Lizzie kept including him.

She hated this. She especially hated that this was supposed to be _family_ dinner night. They weren't allowed to invite anyone. She would _love_ to invite Jade for dinner. She didn't mind Hope being there, she was practically family anyway, but _Clarke_?

"So, _Hope_ ," Lizzie said. "How'd the driving test go?"

"Oh, um," Hope glanced at Doctor Saltzman. "We didn't go."

" _Really_ ," Lizzie shook her head, looking at Clarke. "It's like you _want_ to keep getting her in trouble."

"Relax," Alaric said to Hope. "He already told me the truth, that you stayed on campus."

Hope let out a breath, and patted Ryan's leg under the table, glad he took care of that.

"Only two more weeks after this, right?" Lizzie said. "How _ever_ are you going to make it through?"

"Well, next week's the dance," Hope said. "Only one more after that."

Alaric coughed, "The dance?"

"Yeah," Clarke looked at him with a smirk. "The _on_ -campus dance."

"That's right," Caroline said. "Have you girls picked out your dresses yet? Josie?" She deliberately asked her since she was being really quiet.

"Oh, um, not yet," Josie said. "Lizzie and Hope have something. I was gonna go into town with Jade tomorrow to pick something out."

"Yeah," Lizzie perked up. "Rebekah sent Hope and me some of the most _beautiful_ gowns after Thanksgiving."

Yet another thing that bothered Josie. Since she hadn't been invited to New Orleans for Thanksgiving, she hadn't met Rebekah until Christmas but she didn't get the chance to bond with Hope's family the same way Lizzie had. She knew everything worked out for the best, that she had been needed to figure out a way to fight Malivore, but she still wished she had that time with them.

Maybe she wouldn't feel like she grew apart from them so much if she had been there.

"So, _you're_ going to a high school dance?" Alaric asked Clarke, a bit amused.

"Supportive enough for you?" Clarke asked.

"So!" Caroline interrupted. She was _not_ allowing for a repeat of earlier. "Hope and Josie have an escort, what about you, Lizzie?"

"Flying solo," Lizzie admitted. "I'm perfectly capable of having fun on my own."

"I'll save you a dance," Hope offered.

"Gee, thanks," Lizzie said. "If he lets you get away for a second."

"I'll think about it," Clarke teased.

"See?" Lizzie said. "He doesn't like to share."

"And you do?" Clarke asked.

Hope snickered.

"What about MG?" Josie asked.

"What about him?" Lizzie said.

"Did he ask you?" Josie wondered.

"To the _Sweetheart_ Dance?" Lizzie asked. "When I've told him repeatedly we're _just_ friends? No. He didn't ask." And she wasn't upset about it. Not at all. Nope.

"Besides," Lizzie continued, swishing her hair back over her shoulder. "As I said, I don't _need_ an escort."

"I'm sure there will be plenty of single people there to dance with," Caroline said.

Lizzie shrugged.

"Why don't _all_ of the girls go shopping with Josie tomorrow?" Caroline looked pointedly at Alaric.

Alaric shook his head. "Lizzie can."

"Ric," Caroline said. "It won't hurt for her to get a quick break. Josie, what time are you and Jade going?"

"Around two?" Josie said.

Hope shook her head. "It won't matter anyway, Caroline. I've gotta meet with the guys to spar."

"Because sparring with Raf is _such_ a good idea," Lizzie said, remembering Hope's words from last week's yoga class.

"He's a hybrid now," Hope reminded her. "No one else at school can match his strength and he doesn't want to hurt anyone."

"And if he gets to cop a feel while you're at it?" Lizzie asked without thinking.

Clarke looked up at Lizzie, frowning.

Hope looked at Ryan sharply, "He doesn't!"

She looked at Lizzie, glaring as she said, "He _wouldn't_." Why would Lizzie even _say_ that!?

Lizzie's eyes widened as she realized what she said and who she said it in front of.

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean that," Lizzie said, putting her fork down, looking between Hope and Clarke.

"If she has so much to catch up on," Clarke said, looking at Alaric, "why does she have time for sparring?"

"Exercise is important," Alaric cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable.

"Excuse me?" Hope raised her hand. "Sitting right here?"

Josie leaned forward to try to help. "Wolves have a lot of pent up energy. They just need a release is all."

Hope blanched. That was _not_ going to help.

Josie realized how her words sounded and blinked rapidly. "I mean, she spars with Ethan too."

"Her cousin," Clarke said, staring at Hope now. What exactly was going on with Rafael? He knew she was supposed to help him because she turned him into a hybrid. He knew he was loyal to her. He had known from before that Rafael used to have a thing for her but both Rafael _and_ Hope had shut that down. So why was Lizzie bringing it up now like there was a problem he should be aware of?

Glass shattered suddenly and everyone looked at Lizzie.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," Lizzie said, shaking her hand trying to dislodge the shards of glass. That's what happened when you clenched your water glass too tightly because you said the wrong thing and ruined everything.

"Oh my God," Hope exclaimed, "Are you okay?"

Caroline jumped up, grabbed a cloth napkin, and wrapped it around the base of her hand to catch the blood running down.

"I'll get some towels," Josie jumped up too and went running.

"Lizzie, honey," Caroline said, "I need you to hold still while I pull out the bigger shards. Ric, get some tweezers?" She started pulling out some of the larger pieces. Luckily it didn't look like any had gone in too deeply.

"On it," Alaric took off too.

"Should I get anything?" Hope asked, hovering out of her seat. "Ice or something?"

"No," Caroline shook her head. "I'm going to get the glass out first, then we'll clean it up and get it bandaged."

"Now I've totally ruined dinner too," Lizzie said, face crumbling as she looked at her hand. " _Great_."

"Dinner's not ruined," Caroline reassured her gently. "It just took an interesting turn."

Lizzie didn't know what had happened. She had said the absolute wrong thing. 

"Hope, it just came out, I didn't mean…" She hadn't thought before she spoke. She thought she was getting better at that. She closed her eyes tightly and the other glasses on the table trembled. What was happening? She hadn't felt this out of control in a long time.

"Hey, hey," Hope immediately reached out for her other hand. "It's okay, alright? No worries. We're all good, right?" She looked at Ryan, pleading with him to agree for Lizzie's sake.

"Right," he agreed, though the look he gave her let her know he wasn't going to drop the matter.

Sighing, she looked back at Lizzie who had calmed down a little and was staring at her hand again. "See? It'll all be okay."

She was worried though. This wasn't close to any of Lizzie's full blown episodes, but it had been a long time since she lost it. And it was one of the first times she remembered Lizzie accidentally hurting herself in the process.

Josie returned with a couple towels and Caroline took one.

"I'm gonna go see what's taking Ric," Caroline said, wrapping a fresh towel around Lizzie's hand. "Lizzie, come with me... and, Ryan?"

"Yes?" he asked.

"Don't go anywhere," she practically demanded. "I want to talk to you after dinner."

"Sure…" He knew there had to be a catch. It wasn't like he had anything better to do though, not once he had to leave.

Hope and Clarke suddenly found themselves alone at the table, everyone else rushing to take care of the fairer twin.

"You gonna tell me what that was about?" Clarke asked.

She looked at the blood stained napkin on top of Lizzie's plate where the larger shards of glass rested.

"Lizzie has some… issues. She's working on them."

"I meant Rafael," he said. He already knew all about Lizzie Saltzman and her mental health. He had read all of the student files when he was pretending to be headmaster.

"Oh," she sighed.

"Well?" he asked.

"I spar with Rafael and Ethan, you know that," she said.

"Why would Lizzie think Rafael would try to touch you?" he asked.

"He _wouldn't_ ," she said firmly. "I just told her I only ever spar with _both_ of them. That I wouldn't spar with Rafael alone."

"Why not?"

"Because I know he still likes me, and I feel more comfortable when other people are around," she explained.

"Do I have anything to worry about?" he had to ask. Why wouldn't she just tell him that before? Why was he finding out from her best friend? Who had then _apologized_ for telling him like it was some big secret?

She frowned. "Why would you have anything to worry about?"

"Hope."

"No!" she denied. "He's a friend who is going through something no one else at school ever has. I'm helping him, but he is always _very_ respectful to me. He's not anything you need to worry about. I make sure someone else is around more for _you_ , so I'm not spending alone time with someone I know likes me even though I will _never_ like him the same way. Okay?" She hastened to reassure him, grabbing his hand.

"Okay," he said softly, threading his fingers through hers.

"I'm…gonna go check on Lizzie," she said, feeling flustered at having to explain herself. She knew he sometimes got jealous, she had been jealous before too, but she really hoped he would just accept her words as truth.

"Okay," he said again, letting her hand go slowly.

He watched her leave.

He trusted her completely, but he didn't trust the hybrid.

If she said everything was fine, he believed her…but he had been around long enough to know what she believed might not be the truth.

* * *

Caroline breezed back into the room a little while later and found him relaxing in a lounge chair.

"The girls are seeing to Lizzie," she explained. "In the meantime, there's something I wanted to discuss with you. Ric may be along shortly too. Bourbon?"

She removed the decanter to pour one for herself and waited for his reply.

He nodded.

"Picked the most comfortable seat I see," she said, settling on the sofa across from him.

"Always preferred this one," he said, accepting the glass from her.

"Right, right," she pursed her lips, knowing immediately he meant from his time as headmaster.

"You're obviously good at taking charge and getting what you want," Caroline said, alluding to that time. She would've been impressed if it hadn't been her school he bamboozled.

He inclined his head.

"Well, so am I," she said. "And I'm always looking for new ways to help the students here, which includes smoothly transitioning them into the world after graduation."

He nearly laughed. He knew exactly what she wanted.

She could see the amused look on his face. "Now, hear me out."

"It's not going to happen, not the way you want anyway."

"The students here have been working on self control, learning everything about themselves so that they'll be ready to go into the world and eventually find jobs. Some of them have already shown that they enjoy fighting for a good cause."

"Are you finished?" he asked.

"Not yet," she admonished. "Your organization captures creatures, erases them from existence, yes, but you still can't capture the protected species. And you know those are just as bad, if not worse, than most of the creatures you face. Having a few wolves, vamps, or witches on your team would go a long way to taking care of the troublesome ones without putting the humans on your team in danger."

"Until one of those humans gets injured and finds themselves vamp food for the very vampire sent to watch their back. Or until a wolf has to cut a mission short because there's going to be a full moon and they have to go chain themselves up," he replied.

Caroline sighed.

"Witches? Okay, _maybe_ ," he said. " _If_ you can find one who wouldn't mind taking out another witch. Even now we have a very delicate case searching for a witch that keeps causing trouble and getting away. While we have some witch contacts, we don't have any operatives. An operative would need all the details of the mission, a contact doesn't. Would a witch operative help or hinder our efforts? What if it were someone in their coven? Or a sister one?"

"I get it, I get it," Caroline said.

"You're asking me to hire untrained supernaturals at an organization that's very purpose is to protect the world _from_ supernaturals. That won't do much for morale."

"You know you can do anything you want," she said.

"I do the smart thing," he said. "I don't put lives in jeopardy more than the job entails. And I don't take children on missions."

"Then train them," she said. "We can look into building the extra facilities needed here. A new branch of the school, a place for recruits to train for _anything_ they might face."

"No."

"You won't consider it?" she asked hopefully.

"I respect what you're doing here, it's a great school, and there are plenty of ways to help these kids," he said. "The answer isn't me."

"Well," Caroline sighed. "At least I tried. If you ever reconsider…"

He shook his head.

The only supernatural—besides himself—he would ever consider being a part of the organization was Hope. She had been his partner before, and she would be his partner again—if she wanted to be.

* * *

Hope finally returned to him soon after the meeting ended, and she walked him out to the car, her face worried.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm worried about Lizzie," she said.

"She's done things like this before," he said.

"But she was getting so much better…" she said. "I just…"

"How is this any different?" he asked.

"I just have this bad feeling," she said.

"Like a premonition?" he asked. "Did you have another one?"

"No…" she shook her head. "Not really. Not yet." There was that dream she had after the battle with Malivore, but she had convinced herself that was just a dream, _not_ a premonition. And she _definitely_ wasn't going to tell him about that.

"It's just a feeling," she said again. "You said before it might've been too late to stop the darkness even if we stop the merge…"

They reached his SUV.

"Hope," he turned to face her. "This was nothing compared to what she's done in the past. I've read her file remember? Her episodes get completely out of control. She destroyed the entire kitchen at the school once. Tonight she broke a _glass_. A single cup. If it was like before, she would've spun into a full blown episode and broken everything before anyone settled her down."

"I guess you're right," she said, biting her lip. "But what if it gets worse again? What if you were right _before_?"

"Then we'll help her," he said. "There are resources, and Triad has contacts. We'll find something."

"You'd do that?" she asked, startled. She figured putting up the portal was enough to make up for the debt he owed Lizzie. To do more…

"Yeah," he said, shrugging.

She grinned. "Darn right, you'd help her. She _is_ your sister after all."

Rolling his eyes, he pulled her against him. "Just because my mother claimed her as an adopted child of earth doesn't mean she and I are related." He never should've told her what his mother said about the twins. She loved teasing him every chance she got.

"You like her though," she teased, looking up at him. "Admit it. As much as you guys bicker, deep down somewhere you guys don't completely hate each other."

"If I admit it, do I get a kiss goodbye?" he asked.

"Two even," she grinned.

He reached for her chin and tipped her head up, leaning down to capture his lips with hers.

From afar, near the entrance to the Salvatore school, Rafael swore and looked away, clenching his teeth.

He didn't understand what was going on with him. Twice today he stopped what he was doing and went where his feet led him, not even thinking about it.

It was that damn pull again. Something was making him seek her out when she was nearby, even when she _wasn't_ that close.

Earlier, he found himself walking completely across the campus grounds where he nearly stumbled on them making out on a blanket in the woods.

Snapping back to reality, he had immediately turned around and gone back to the school. Seeing her with him made the aggression return _again_. But, more than that, he hated what was happening. He wasn't _trying_ to spy on her.

Just like now. He spent the evening close to the headmaster's chambers, reminding himself he couldn't go in there, until he finally forced himself to walk away. Then he found himself walking to the front doors, spying on her in the parking lot.

He was starting to think it might be time to do what needed to be done to break the sire bond.

Whatever he could do to stop this weirdness with Hope, he needed to try.

The thought of changing into a wolf a hundred times though… all the pain that was ahead. Would he be able to do it?

He needed to talk to Landon first.

Maybe his brother could help him figure out another way.


	4. Mine...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I own nothing but my own words._
> 
>   
> credit: [@hopeforhopan_](https://instagram.com/hopeforhopan_?igshid=5nwljukhxolu)

"Planning to make her look as trashy as you?" Alyssa said into her vanity mirror while watching Lizzie and Josie help Hope gather everything she needed to get ready for the dance.

Hope planned to get ready in the twins room so they could all help each other. Also, Lizzie had insisted.

"Talked to Jed lately?" Lizzie asked her sweetly, knowing the witch was referring to her.

Alyssa glared into the mirror but miraculously shut her mouth.

Hope looked back and forth between Lizzie and her roommate. _What the…_

 _Later_ , Lizzie mouthed at her.

Hope shrugged then grabbed her shoes and bag with undergarments.

Lizzie paused to look at a bouquet of roses sitting on Hope's nightstand. 

"Roses for Valentine's, huh? He didn't want to give them to you in person?"

"Hmm?" Hope glanced up. "Oh, yeah, he had them delivered. He didn't think he'd have time to pick them up before the dance. I'm amazed he could even get away today. He has to leave immediately again tomorrow."

But, even with that, he _insisted_ on coming to the dance with her. She had to smile. He always did everything he could to make her his priority.

"Is that everything?" Josie asked. She had the dress and a bag with hair products.

"Almost," Lizzie said, rooting through Hope's makeup. "Oooh," she picked up a lip gloss. "I bet this would look great on me."

Hope cleared her throat loudly.

"Right, right," she tossed that lip gloss and one more into her tote. "Let's go!"

" _Finally_ ," Alyssa grumbled, still glaring at Lizzie.

"Holding you up getting ready for your escort, are we?" Lizzie asked. "Oh, wait."

"Lizzie," Josie said under her breath, trying to encourage her to be nice.

"What?" the blonde asked.

"Let's go," Hope said, pushing Lizzie out the door.

"What was that all about?" Hope asked as they walked through the corridors. "What about Jed?"

"I can't believe you didn't hear," Lizzie laughed.

"She doesn't listen to gossip, unlike some people," Josie said with a pointed look at Lizzie.

"Word is," Lizzie said dramatically as she opened her bedroom door, "Alyssa and Jed got a little _too_ close over winter break."

"As in…" Hope could read between the lines, especially since she was sexually active herself now.

"Uh huh," Lizzie nodded. "You know, Alyssa was stuck here and Jed was _supposed_ to join his parents but they cancelled on him last minute."

"It's kind of sad," Josie said. "For both of them, I mean, not going home for the holidays?"

"Jed, yes," Lizzie said. "Alyssa though?"

" _Yes,_ Josie," Hope said, eyeing Lizzie. "You're absolutely correct. It _is_ sad. For the both of them."

"Anyway," Lizzie shrugged. "It was just that, a winter break fling, and now neither Alyssa nor Jed are speaking to each other. No one knows who broke up with whom. But they all know he's not following her around like he used to."

"That's too bad," Hope said.

"Too bad?" Lizzie asked. "It's perfect ammunition to get under her skin."

"We all know you're not a fan of Alyssa Chang," Hope rolled her eyes.

"And you are?" Lizzie asked. "How many more weeks do you have on your prison sentence?"

Hope shook her head. "I have to put up with her, but that sounds like heavy stuff." She didn't really know the details of Alyssa's personal life, but Hope knew that if _she_ had slept with someone and things had ended badly she wouldn't be feeling too great about it. It was kind of a big deal. Or maybe that was just her?

"Yeah," Josie said. "You never really know what someone's going through."

"Gang up much?" Lizzie huffed. " _Fine_. I'll _try_ to be nice… _er_. But if she starts, I _will_ retaliate."

"We know, Lizzie," Hope said. "We know."

* * *

"Knock, knock," Jade said since the door was wide open.

"Hi, Jade," Wade said. His laptop booted up, he was editing together videos from his drone. It was part of his application for the film school he was applying to.

"You're not ready yet?" she asked.

She was all dolled up and ready, but she wanted to check on him before she went to find Josie. She loved the shades of magenta in her dress. Coupled with her hair color, it just made everything fun.

After defeating Malivore, she started hanging out with Wade whenever she got the chance—which seemed to be more and more since Josie had been spending a lot of time with Hope and Lizzie lately outside of school. Jade still got to see Josie at school since the both of them still went to Mystic Falls High along with Jed. They were allowed to go to the dance at the Salvatore School because all of them still lived there, and, well, Josie's parents owned the school.

She was curious about Wade ever since they teamed up with Josie and Rafael. As a person who struggled for years with her sexuality _before_ she became a vampire, she recognized a kindred spirit immediately. The only difference being that Wade hadn't seemed interested in any gender. She didn't know if Wade understood what that meant, or if he even wanted to understand, but she wanted to be a friend to him in case he needed one. She was pretty sure he was on the ace spectrum though, and she wanted him to have someone to talk to about it.

Recently, in the midst of a discussion, he admitted doing some research based on things she talked about before, and he had a lot of questions. She was correct. He _was_ ace.

In the end, he came to understand that there wasn't anything wrong with him just because he wasn't interested in romantic relationships or sex like nearly every other teenager at school. She was glad she got to be there for him and had even helped him find some online communities to help him find friends like himself—ones that weren't looking for anything romantic or sexual, just friendship and compatibility.

Now, though, she still wanted to maintain that friendship. She would take every friend she could get. She was very much into Josie, but her only other living friend had been Wendy—and Wendy transferred to a school on the West Coast as soon as Doctor Saltzman allowed her to. Wendy hadn't wanted to continue at the Salvatore school, not after being sent to prison for ten years and losing track of everyone she ever knew or had ever loved. Wendy thought Jade was crazy for staying, but Jade knew this was the best place for her.

Phone calls from Wendy had been fewer and fewer, and they all but stopped in recent weeks. She missed her.

"Not too interested in going," he shrugged.

"It'll be fun," she said. "Dancing, talking with your friends. Just because it's a Sweetheart Dance doesn't mean you need a date. Plenty of people are going without one."

"I really need to work on this," he said.

"Who am I going to hang out with in between when Josie's hanging with her friends?" she asked.

"Shouldn't she be focused on you all night?" he said.

She laughed, "She's allowed to have friends, just like me. And _you're_ my friend, _soooo_?"

He sighed, "I guess I can go. There'll be cake right?"

"Cake, and brownies, and cookies, and all the sweet stuff, I'm sure," Jade said with a grin. "The best place for a fairy with a sweet tooth!"

"I'll see you there," he agreed.

"Great!" she said. "Don't be too late!"

She left the room and headed back to the girls dorms. On her way, she heard the communal phone ring. Hoping it would be Wendy even though she knew it probably wouldn't be, she headed to answer it since everyone else was too busy getting ready.

* * *

"I'm trying to imagine Clarke actually dancing," Lizzie laughed. "There is _no way_ he's got moves like Kaleb and MG."

Even Hope had to laugh at that one. "He's much more of a traditionalist."

"What? Foxtrots and waltzes?" Lizzie laughed.

"Something like that," Hope shrugged. "I'll hope for lots of slow dances."

She stayed still as Josie pulled her hair back and then pulled down some tendrils to soften the effect.

"Hurry up, Josie," Lizzie said. "My hair isn't going to tame itself."

"Just a sec," Josie said.

"Welp," Jade said as she swept into the room. "I come baring bad news from the telephone waves."

"Phone?" Hope glanced at her in the mirror but didn't move her head. "It wasn't Ryan, was it?"

"Yep," Jade nodded. "His flight was rerouted due to a snowstorm so he didn't land until five minutes ago. He tried to call you, and then called the communal phone when you didn't answer. He still has to drive to Mystic Falls _then_ get ready. He'll be more than fashionably late."

Hope looked around and, yep, she left her phone in her room. Seniors were the only ones allowed to have phones since they had off-campus privileges, but on-campus they had to keep them in their rooms. A rule instituted by Doctor Saltzman at the start of the new year _after_ Headmaster "Vardemus" had done away with his no-cell phone rule to begin with.

Jade looked down at Josie still wearing slippers and a robe. "Your dress is cozy."

"I'm wearing it under this," she explained with a smile. "I didn't want to get anything on it."

"Okay, Jos, that's it. It's your turn," Hope said. "Put a last pin in and then switch places with me. No rush for me to get glammed up now anyway."

"You do her hair," Lizzie said, standing. "I'll do makeup."

"Just go easy on the liner," Josie said, eyeing Lizzie.

"Relax," Lizzie said. "You'll look perfect."

"Not that she doesn't already," Hope added.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Jade said from behind them, winking at Josie in the mirror.

Josie blushed. "Guys, stop."

"I'm wondering if I should still bother going," Hope said. "I mean, isn't the airport like an hour away?" She knew he didn't have any control of the flights; it was just one of those things.

Lizzie scoffed. "If I can go alone, you can too. We'll make a grand entrance together."

"Girl power!" Hope said, laughing. "Okay, yes, Lizzie, I'll be your escort for the first half of the dance. But soons as my mans shows up—"

"You'll ditch me," Lizzie sighed dramatically, clutching at her heart. "My ego can take it, I swear."

"I bet," Hope said. "How about some curls?" she asked Josie, brandishing the curling iron.

"That'd be great," Josie said, smiling softly. She was looking forward to the dance a lot more knowing that she wouldn't have to spend the entire time making nice with Clarke. She could be with her sister and friend, and with Jade, and relax.

And it was nice having Hope and Lizzie focusing on her for once.

* * *

"Hello, cutie," Jade said with a grin as a slow song started and she pulled Josie into her arms.

Josie gladly went to her, smiling. "You've got moves," she said, referring to her dancing. "How did I not know that?"

"There's plenty about me you don't know yet, Josie Saltzman," Jade said with a wink.

"Tell me more," Josie teased.

"Well, if its moves you want to know more about…" Jade trailed off mischievously.

"I told Lizzie to go to the after party," Josie said with a knowing look. "Give us some alone time in my room later."

"I like the way you think," Jade said suggestively. "Alone time with you is a precious commodity lately"

Josie frowned. "Really? I didn't think… I mean, school?"

She, Jade, and Jed still went to Mystic Falls High since she put her magic away again after Malivore, taking it back only to sever the link to the seal before putting it away _again_. Jade still wanted to get used to being around humans, and Jed still kept an eye on them.

She kind of wished she was back at the Salvatore school because it made maintaining her relationships with Lizzie and Hope more difficult, but her father said she couldn't bounce back and forth between schools whenever she wanted. Also, having no magic made the supernatural school more dangerous for her. Jed was surprisingly okay with it too. One would think he would _want_ to stick around to hang with Ethan, but he agreed immediately when her dad asked him to return.

"Not a lot of time alone there either, you know, because of class and Jed," Jade shrugged. "But it makes me look forward to tonight even more."

"What about next Friday too?" Josie asked, suddenly feeling bad because she realized Jade was right. At school, she did spend a lot of time with Jade but it was never really _alone_ , and when she was 'home' she spent a lot of time with Lizzie and Hope. She couldn't remember the last time she and Jade had gone on an actual _date_. "We can go into town or just a picnic or anything really."

"It's a date," Jade said with a wink. "Surprise me."

The song changed and picked up in tempo again.

"I need a breather," Josie said. "Want some punch?"

"Sure," Jade said. "I'm gonna find Wade."

"I'll get the drinks and meet you there," Josie said.

"Okay!"

Despite Ryan running late—and still not arriving—Hope was having a great time!

The music was loud and pumping and for the most part she and Lizzie just danced around with everyone and each other, having a blast.

When a slow song started, they went to grab some punch while Jade led Josie onto the dance floor.

"I'm glad I decided to come anyway," Hope said, grabbing a drink from the table.

"There was _no_ way I was letting you sit this one out!" Lizzie said loudly, grabbing her own drink.

"Brock's coming," Hope said, spying the wolf. "I think he's going to ask you to dance."

"Who?" Lizzie looked around. "Oh. Yeah, no."

"Isn't this still the year of yes?" Hope asked.

"That was _last_ year," Lizzie said. "New year, new Lizzie."

"Could've fooled me," Hope said with a wink.

As he approached, Lizzie readied herself to deny the younger wolf a dance.

"Excuse me," he said.

She looked up and opened her mouth, but he beat her to it.

"I need to get to the punch bowl," he said, nodding between the two girls.

Hope snickered into her drink and moved out of the way.

Lizzie harrumphed. "Seriously?"

"Uh, yeah?" he said, confused.

"Don't you _want_ to dance with me?" Lizzie said, annoyed.

"Well, sure," he said, face clearing and holding out a hand to her.

"I didn't mean…" Lizzie looked at Hope for help.

"Have fun, you two!" Hope said, giggling.

Lizzie sighed and took his hand. She totally walked into that.

"Just don't step on my feet," she said as they walked to the dance floor.

"No guarantees," he said with a laugh, turning to face her for the slow dance.

"Great," she said with a sigh.

Hope watched them walk away and then took the chance to look around. She kept going back to watching the doors, waiting for the moment Ryan finally appeared.

She had this feeling of being watched herself, so she looked around again until she made eye contact with Rafael and saw him smile with a nod before heading toward her.

She let out a breath. She knew what that meant. He was going to ask her to dance. _Crap_.

He was her friend, and she knew under normal circumstances she would have no problem dancing with him, but Lizzie had made things awkward for her. Ryan hadn't been too happy last week. While she knew she could dance with whomever she wanted to, she wasn't going to dance with Rafael. She didn't want Ryan to arrive and the first thing he saw was her dancing with Raf, even if it would only be as friends.

He was already feeling jealous, why make the situation worse? She knew how sensitive Ryan was.

As much as her being with him had helped repair a lot of the damage done by his father, she knew he still struggled with understanding how love and relationships worked even though he loved her completely. Sometimes she felt like he was waiting for her to find something wrong with him, to leave him because of it. That theory gained a lot of traction when he had told her his thoughts regarding his mother.

She loved Ryan, more than she ever thought possible. She had known since the first time they kissed that they were meant for each other, it just took a little while for her brain to listen to her heart. Now, loving him was as instinctive as breathing. She wasn't going anywhere. He was _hers_ , and she was _his_ , and, no matter what, they were going to _remain_ each other's. Sometimes she wished he could be a part of her subconscious again just so he could feel her emotions and _know_ once and for all exactly how much he meant to her.

Seeing Rafael drawing closer, she resolved to tell him 'no' if he asked to dance. She would rather he didn't ask though. She didn't want to make things too awkward between them, not when she still wanted to be friends with him.

Smiling hesitantly back at him, she clutched her drink slightly, hoping for a miracle, and then one came.

"Hey, Hope," Ethan said as the music picked up again.

He started reaching for a cup, but she grabbed his hand.

"Abso _lutely_ , I would love to dance!" She put her cup off to the side and pulled him along, waving to Rafael as she passed by.

"Okay…?" Ethan said, allowing her to tug him along. The dance was pretty much like any other school dance he had ever been to, except the decorations were a bit more magical. He didn't have a date, but he was having fun hanging with Jed and the other single wolves. He was more excited for the after party though. No chaperones and he heard things got a little crazier then.

"Trying to avoid hurting someone's feelings," she explained.

"Yeah, that's always inevitable," he deadpanned.

"Avoid it tonight, at least," she said.

"Raf?" he asked knowingly.

"How'd you know?" she asked, surprised.

"I'm not _that_ oblivious," Ethan rolled his eyes. "He can't keep his eyes off you."

"It's not _that_ bad," she hastened to defend him.

"Uh, yeah," Ethan nodded. "It is." It was getting to be borderline creepy actually. In fact, he wondered if he should say something to him, considering Hope was family.

"Being a hybrid isn't all it's cracked up to be," she said, excusing Rafael's actions once again. She knew once she activated her vampire side she would act a bit differently as well. Rafael just needed time to adjust, and she was the only one who could relate to him at all at the moment.

"I hope I never find out," Ethan said.

"Same!" she said with a smile then promptly changed the subject. "So, how's Maya?"

"Good," Ethan said. "She starts that internship at the mayor's office on Monday after cheerleading practice. Mrs. Salvatore arranged it for her."

"I didn't know she was into that sort of thing." Hope was genuinely surprised. She didn't know Maya _that_ well, but she was pretty sure she wasn't interested in anything like that.

"She isn't," he shrugged. "It's actually _my_ after school dream job, but apparently since she's human _and_ knows about supernaturals, she's exactly what Mayor Donovan wants for his team."

"I'm surprised Maya agreed to it," she said.

"I think she's feeling left out," he said. "I mean, she knows being one of us isn't all that fun, but with me and Landon here, she's just got Mom, Aunt Seylah, and Chad." He had to laugh to himself a little at that.

"Chad!" her eyes lit up. "How's he doing?" She hadn't gotten the chance to see him for a while, but the guy had grown on her.

"Good, good," he grinned. "You know he's a deputy now, right?"

"No way," she giggled imagining it.

"Mom isn't giving him much responsibility yet, mostly sending him out on the least dangerous things like going to local schools to talk about drugs, and I think he's helped rescue a couple of cats…?"

"That sounds like Chad," Hope smiled.

"Aunt Seylah is _attempting_ to train him so he can become a bit more…"

"Tough?" she suggested. "Less Naïve?"

"Go with that," he laughed. "And, let's just say, no one is in any rush to put a gun in his hands."

"So he's less of a deputy, and more of a junior deputy, except older?" she asked.

"Shhh," Ethan hushed her jokingly. "Don't tell him that."

"I'm surprised he lasted a day," she said.

"Turns out everyone secretly loves him," he shrugged. "They don't want to break his poor little heart."

"That sounds like Chad too," Hope said. "Something about him just makes you want to protect him at all costs."

"You're not wrong," he laughed again. "I think the only one not feeling it is Landon, but who knows what's up with him. Maya knows him better than me."

Hope didn't respond to that. Landon wasn't really a _sore_ spot for her, but she deliberately didn't talk about him with other people. When she had officially ended things with him, she told him she still wanted to be friends but, seeing that neither of them had really spoken to each other since, that didn't seem likely anytime soon.

"I think I saw Raf leave," Ethan said as the music picked up again, hooding his eyes and looking around. "So you're good. Besides, I _really_ needed that drink before."

"Right," she insisted. "Go! I'm gonna find Lizzie until Ryan gets here."

"Don't forget," he called out while walking toward the drink table, "I still need to meet him."

"I won't!" she called back.

"Oh, hey, Josie," Ethan said as he reached for a drink, seeing her standing there doing the same.

"Ethan," Josie nodded. "Hey."

"You look great," Ethan said. He didn't know if it was appropriate to say that considering she wasn't his date, but she did look great in the pink dress she was wearing. He knew he shouldn't since she was dating Jade, but he still had a thing for her. He wasn't going to get a chance any time soon so he had decided to remain in the friend zone she had put him in. Friends were better than nothing. He really liked her.

"Thanks, you too," she smiled, picking up two drinks. "I gotta get back…" she nodded at her drinks.

"Right," Ethan nodded, backing away immediately. "Me too."

Josie nodded and walked away, breathing a sigh. She knew he wanted to be friends, so she was always polite to him, but she didn't see how she could in good conscious be real friends with him when she couldn't ever be completely honest with him. With him being at the Salvatore School now, she kept waiting for someone to remember his injury and point out that it wasn't natural…that it was _super_ natural. She wasn't sure how many people knew what she had done. She kept thinking he would find out one day, and she probably should tell him and get it over with.

But she couldn't bring herself to do it yet.

Landon was having severe flashbacks to the couple of dances he forced himself to go to when he attended the hell that was public high school. Back when he felt super awkward, no one cared if he was there or not, and he didn't feel like he belonged at all.

That was happening again.

From the moment he set foot in the Salvatore School, he felt like he was home. He knew it was the perfect place for Rafael, and he had done everything he could to stay too. Fortunately, it turned out he really _was_ supernatural, so they let him. But one of the reasons he loved it so much was because of Hope. She was a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but eventually she let her walls down and let him in.

Suddenly, his life was better than he ever thought possible. He had a home, a place in the world where he belonged, and a girlfriend. Things he had never thought were possible.

The months he had forgotten Hope, he knew something was off but he still _knew_ he belonged there.

He lost all of that when Malivore took him over.

Yes, Malivore. He would never call him 'father.'

Losing Hope, the first person besides Raf who had ever loved him, had _hurt_. He knew he only had himself to blame. It was the world's dumbest idea to go on a 'break'. That was how he lost her. He tried to make her see reason by controlling her, and it hadn't worked. He had been a blind, stupid idiot. He would've fixed that mistake if only he had time. He thought he _did_ have time. But, he hadn't.

Malivore cost him so much.

The time the beast spent taking over his body was enough for Clarke to weasel his way into Hope's affections. Though, what did it really say about his relationship with Hope if she could move on so quickly?

Maybe she had been so blinded by first love she didn't realize she wasn't meant to be with him in the first place?

For him though, he was pretty sure she was it. The one. He could still remember everything he felt while he was with Josie, back when he didn't remember Hope. His feelings for Josie paled considerably in comparison to how he felt about Hope.

How did he move on from that? That was the question he had been asking himself these past couple months.

He figured life would get back to normal eventually. He didn't need Hope to feel home at the Salvatore School…but something had changed. The friendships he built had changed. Everyone was glad he was alive and free, but that was about it. Josie, who had become his friend after they broke up, switched schools and was always hanging with Hope and Lizzie. He previously reached a sort of middle ground with Lizzie before she turned on him when he took a 'break' from Hope. Wade and Rafael were still his friends, but things with Rafael had been weird too since he became a hybrid. He now had another whole new aspect to his personality to control. Wolf _and_ vampire. And then there was his preoccupation with Hope that Landon knew came from the sire bond.

He should probably be grateful Hope was with Clarke because he didn't know if he would be able to take it if Hope were with Rafael instead. At least with Clarke, he didn't have to be around for any of that. He could go for hours without thinking about Hope. And as much as Rafael was fighting his feelings, Landon could tell he wasn't holding himself back the same way as he had before.

Not that Landon could blame him. He knew firsthand how Hope made everyone around her feel special and important. It was easy to fall in love with her. He could probably name five people off the top of his head who would jump at the chance to be with Hope—his name being at the top.

The hard part was getting Hope to return those feelings. How Clarke had managed it, Landon would never know.

Rafael really didn't have a chance, not with Clarke around… no matter how long he stood staring at her just like he was doing now.

Landon gravitated toward Rafael after sitting with Wade for a bit; and, when he found him, it was obvious he only had eyes for Hope as she danced with her—and Landon's—cousin.

"Well, that's not awkward," Landon said, glancing at Hope but then looking away quickly.

"Hmm?" Rafael murmured, barely paying attention.

"What's the deal with you and Hope?" Landon asked out right to get his attention.

"Huh?" Rafael finally broke concentration. "Oh, nothing. She's seeing Clarke."

"Uh, yeah, but all you seem to be able to see is her," Landon said.

Rafael shook his head as if trying to clear it. He looked around and wondered how long he had been standing there ogling Hope. This was getting ridiculous. He couldn't put it off anymore. It was time to talk to Landon about what was going on.

"Just… follow me," he said, heading out to the hall, knowing Landon would follow.

Once they were away from the loud music, he turned to him.

"I don't know what's going on. I know as a hybrid I'm supposed to be loyal to her, that I'll look for her in case she needs me, but they didn't say it'd be like _this_."

"Like what?" Landon asked, concerned.

"All I think about is her," Rafael said. "I'm constantly drawn to her. And Clarke? It's crazy, but any mention of him gets me so _angry_. I can barely control it. As a wolf alone, I knew there was a lot of aggression and anger, but I was getting better at controlling it. _Now_ though? It's ten times worse. How am I supposed to control _that_?"

"You _are_ part vampire now though, and vamps like to kill things, right?" Landon said. "It's, like, a thing?" Though most of the students at school had it under control… maybe Raf just needed more time?

"I don't know, man," Rafael said. "I just feel like something is wrong, but I don't know what. I guess…I'm thinking maybe I can't put it off any more. I need to get rid of the sire bond."

Landon winced. He knew it might come down to that eventually but he didn't want Raf to have to go through it.

"Maybe you should talk to Doctor Saltzman?" Landon suggested.

"Tell him I'm worried I'm going to get so angry I might kill someone?" Raf scoffed. "That'll go over well."

"That's the whole point though," Landon said. "Everyone here gets angry—or hungry—enough to kill. This school is supposed to help you learn control. Just because there aren't any other hybrids here doesn't mean they don't know how to help you. You _know_ he'll help you."

"I'll think about it," Rafael said.

"What's there to think about?" Landon asked. "You need help, so ask."

"Getting rid of the sire bond should make these feelings go away," Rafael said. "It might be better to do that than try to learn to control them. I don't like the way it makes me feel."

"And I get that," Landon said. "But is it really better to go through all that pain?"

"Probably not," Rafael sighed. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I can learn to control it. And it's not like it happens all the time. I mean, Clarke's the only one that makes me feel like that and it's not like I _have_ to see him."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that…" Landon said, seeing a late arrival to the dance down the hall.

Rafael turned to look and saw him too.

He tensed. "Seriously?"

"How about we get out of here?" Landon suggested, putting his arm around Raf's shoulders and turning him away from Clarke's direction.

"Yeah," Rafael nodded.

 _And maybe I can talk some sense into him_ , Landon thought. Rafael definitely needed to talk to Doctor Saltzman. He was pretty sure he would convince him by the end of the night.

* * *

"Hurry," Lizzie commanded, looking around, making sure no one was paying too much attention.

"Just a sec!" Hope said, squinting.

"It's just a tiny glamour spell, Hope," Lizzie looked heavenward. "Pretty sure the Queen of Malivore can manage that."

"Right," Hope said, teasing. "A _tiny_ spell to cover all of _that_."

Lizzie glared. A pimple the size of Mount Everest decided to spring up on her face in the middle of the dance. Thankfully Hope pointed it out before she spent the rest of the evening with the giant blemish on display. She should have gone to the restroom to put the glamour on herself, but Hope had insisted she could do it.

"If I wanted to hear flippant remarks about the mountain size zit on my face, I'd have asked Alyssa," Lizzie said.

"Are you sure you don't want to pop it before I put the glamour on?" Hope looked at it, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sure!" Lizzie hissed. "Glamour it!"

"Okay," Hope said, then waved her fingers.

She was pleased when Lizzie's face appeared unblemished and smooth as usual. Not that she was worried she couldn't do it; she had just been working on much bigger spells lately ever since Ryan had encouraged her to test the boundaries of her magic. The smaller spells required less magic, which meant a more miniscule level of control. She had to remember to tone the magic down when doing the smaller ones. She needed to find the proper balance for each type of spell—or she could accidentally glamour Lizzie's entire face.

"Perfect!" Hope said, pulling away.

"Thank God," Lizzie said, adjusting her hair. "And not a minute too soon, as Shrek has arrived."

"Shrek?" Hope asked, ever amused by Lizzie's tendency to compare their friends to random television characters.

"Well, the ogre does enjoy his mud baths," Lizzie said with a smirk.

Shaking her head, Hope looked to the doors and saw him. Her very own mud man. She grinned.

"My escort for the second half of the evening has arrived," Hope said, not even bothering to look at Lizzie while she spoke, she only had eyes for him.

He looked especially good in his suit tonight. He was wearing the tie she had specifically told him to wear to match her dress. His hair suggested he showered when he got home but hadn't done much more with it than let it air dry on the way. It was perfectly disheveled and she couldn't wait to run her fingers through it and make it even worse.

"That's what I just said," Lizzie said, exasperated.

"Later, Lizzie…" Hope murmured as she started across the room. "Fiona, out."

"Have fun," Lizzie said, looking around, trying to decide what to do with herself now. "I'll just… be… over here…"

"Or, you could be over _here_ ," MG said from behind her. "You know, dancing with me?"

Lizzie turned around and considered. "Maybe just one dance."

"Works for me," he grinned brightly at her.

"Where've you been anyway?" Lizzie asked, joining him on the dance floor.

"Around," he replied. "By the way, nice earrings. They look good on you."

"Duh," Lizzie tossed her hair back. "Even though I didn't _mean_ for you to get them."

MG shrugged. "Didn't you though?"

He loved that she was wearing them. She had picked them out herself in New Orleans the week of Thanksgiving. Marcel insisted she wanted them and that he should buy them for her. He held off and eventually gave them to her for Christmas. He didn't give them in person though. Since the Saltzmans spent the holiday in New Orleans putting an end to the merge, he asked Josie to put the gift under their tree so Lizzie could open it Christmas morning. He knew she would remember. He also liked the idea that she would think about him Christmas morning.

He spent Christmas with his mother for the first time since he had been turned. Now that Clarke was 'reforming' Triad, and since she brought the company in to help in the aftermath of their battle with Malivore, he figured he owed her another chance. She was the only mother he had after all. Of course, he couldn't go home, not when his father still had to believe he was dead, but his mother had come to Mystic Falls and tried to make amends.

It was a start.

"Don't try to understand the inner workings of my broken mind, MG, you never will," Lizzie said.

"Don't be so sure," he said.

"You know, you really need to get over me," Lizzie said with a sigh.

"Oh, I have," MG insisted, knowing deep down that wasn't true, but he figured since she didn't see him as more than a friend—not yet anyway— it wouldn't hurt for him to explore other options in the meantime. He just hoped they didn't end quite as horribly as things had with Kym.

"Yeah, right," she didn't believe him.

"Even got a date next week," MG went on to say.

"And you didn't want to invite her here tonight?" Lizzie hoped he didn't notice that she missed a step when he said that.

"On Valentine's Day?" he laughed. "Not for a first date."

"Good point," she nodded. "I'm happy for you, MG."

"Thanks," he replied.

"You know what, you've inspired me," Lizzie declared.

"I have?" he asked.

"It's definitely time to put myself out there again," Lizzie said. "New year, new Lizzie, right?"

"I thought this was still the year of yes…" He didn't know whether to kick himself or not. He hadn't meant to jump start her into the dating world again, at least not without _him_. But thus was his luck.

"Catch up, MG!" she said. "Things are always changing." She took a deep breath and smiled. "This time for the better, I can just _feel_ it."

"Riiight," he just went along with it.

There wasn't really any other option, was there?

* * *

"Fancy meeting you here," Hope said, approaching Clarke with a grin.

"That's my line," he said, smirking as he admired her from head to toe. Well, one thing about school dances he liked so far was the way her dress hugged all the right curves. The darker shade of red looked amazing on her.

"Not tonight, it isn't," she replied, reaching for his hand.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, raising his eyes to meet hers.

"I'm just glad you're here," she said, losing herself in his eyes for a moment.

"So…" he glanced around. "What's so special about school dances?"

Some fast music was playing, nothing like he ever attempted to dance to before, and he saw Kaleb and some of the other teens dancing like they had been taking hip hop dance lessons for years.

"I'm not doing that," he said immediately.

She giggled. "I'd love to see you try though."

"Keep dreaming," he said. "How about you just put this hand," he reached for her left hand, "right here." He placed her hand on his upper arm and put his hand at her waist. "And then I'll just hold onto this one," he took her right hand in his left and held their arms up in a proper dance form pose.

"I think I know this one," she teased.

"Well, this one I _know_ was in your dreams at least," he said, reminding her of the first dream he ever shared with her.

"Ah, but the music doesn't _quite_ match the dance," she said, even as she moved with him, knowing they looked hopelessly out of sync with everyone else.

He shrugged. "It'll slow down eventually."

And, _eventually_ , it did.

Hope had never spent an evening dancing with Ryan, but she was starting to think they should do it more often. They danced to their own beat, but they were completely in tune with each other: moving with him, holding onto him, staring into his eyes, and later—when the music slowed—resting her head on his chest while he held her close and swayed. Everything was absolutely perfect.

"Thank you for the roses," she murmured into his chest. "They've got a place of honor right next to my bed."

"You're welcome," he smiled down at her.

She looked up and caught the smile, returning it. "Are you sure you can't stick around tomorrow? We could hang out somewhere on campus? In the woods again?"

He started to explain but looked around. The music was too loud and if he spoke loud enough for her to hear, someone else might too. He knew he could tell her anything, he shared nearly everything with her, but his mission—his company—wasn't anyone else's business.

He shook his head, indicating his ear and the sound.

She understood immediately. "It _is_ a little too loud to really talk. Want to go to my room? It'll be quiet _and_ private?"

"Sure," he agreed immediately, perking up. The dance wasn't really his scene. He was glad they had settled on the dance floor in their own little corner ignoring everyone else, but otherwise he was _really_ out of place.

"I need to introduce you to Ethan first," she said. "He's been wanting to meet you."

He nodded. "Let's go then."

* * *

Upon arriving to her room, she turned her back to him. "Will you help me with this?" indicating her zipper.

"Absolutely," his voice filled with suggestion.

"Calm down," she laughed. "I just don't want to wrinkle the dress."

He walked closer, and she practically melted when she felt his warm hands on her back as he pulled the zipper down.

She gripped the dress against her front as it loosened and turned back around.

"You sure?" he asked, grinning wickedly. "Pretty sure I can be of further assistance."

"Patience is a virtue," she winked, then walked away. "Sit."

"Never claimed to be very virtuous," he said, but he did as she bade, shrugging off his suit jacket and sitting on the side of the bed.

"So tell me why you can't stay to see me again tomorrow," she asked while she stepped out of the dress and hung it up.

Admiring the view, he said, "We're in the middle of a manhunt. We don't actually know the gender or species, though it _can_ wield fire."

"Why do _you_ have to get involved though?" She disappeared behind the partition, still talking. "Isn't that why you have so many field operatives?"

"It's one of our first cases outside of the government jobs, though they'd like us to put a stop to the problem as well," he explained. "The government knows our effectiveness, but if I want Triad to be a success outside of that, _I_ gotta make sure we look good. In short, catching this one is very important."

"What is the monster doing?" she asked.

"Hurting our client financially," he said, reaching out to touch one of the roses he sent her. "That's all I can really say."

"Doesn't sound like a monster then," came her muffled reply.

"That's what I was thinking too," he said, spying a crystal sitting on the night stand beneath the roses. He picked it up and turned toward her.

"This brings back memories," he held up the clear prism.

She walked out from behind the screen wearing his old shirt and he smirked. 

"And so does _that_."

She saw the prism and had to smile too. She didn't use it that much anymore, but after she returned to school and had to start sleeping without Ryan, she struggled a lot.

Tossing and turning most nights, she couldn't get any decent sleep because she missed him too much. She started using the prism to help her fall asleep and trick her mind into thinking he was there next to her. Of course, since he was no longer stuck in her subconscious it really _was_ just her conjuring the image. But it worked somehow.

"You know," he said, looking her over. "It might be time for an upgrade."

" _Never_ ," she clutched at the shirt in mock horror. "It's finally as soft as I want it, it's comfy, and it makes me think of you."

"In that case…" he motioned to her. "Come here."

She walked over and sat next to him. "You know, I didn't bring you up here for nefarious reasons."

"No," he turned toward her and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, wanting to touch her. "You brought me up here for some privacy. And _lots_ of things happen in private."

"I suppose," she said, kissing his thumb when he rubbed it across her lips.

"Lots of things happen in private places too," he leaned forward and kissed her softly.

"Something tells me we're going to need a barrier spell," she murmured.

"Unless you want to teach your roommate a thing or two," he nodded at the door which he _had_ locked behind him but that didn't mean anything in this school.

"Not even," she said, immediately pulling away to perform the spell. No one could open it or get in without her permission now. Fortunately, Alyssa usually went to any after parties, the one time she stayed up past her usual bed time.

"You were saying?" she turned back to him.

He leaned in to kiss her, pulling her close.

She returned the kiss, clutching at his shoulders, latching onto him in a bid to get as close as possible. It always, _always_ , felt like she was coming home when she was with him. Nothing else ever felt so good or so right.

He leaned against her, and slowly lowered her down to the bed with him.

She clasped the back of his head, loving this angle even more, opening her mouth to him. He gladly swept his tongue inside, rubbing against hers, exploring.

She lost herself in the kisses, even as she reached up to work at his tie.

He tried to pull back to help her, but she stopped him with her words.

"Let me," she murmured.

Instead of finishing though, she nudged at his chest to get him to roll to his back. Then she moved to sit across his lap with her knees on either side of him resting on the bed. She reached down and worked the material to undo the knot in his tie. When she finished, she let it lay loosely around his neck as she started on the buttons on his shirt.

Not one to sit idly by, he reached up to work on the buttons of her pajama top too.

"Always buttons with you," she giggled as she undid each one.

"You know you like it," he said, eyes darkening as the material of her top opened, revealing her perfect chest to him.

"I do," she said, leaning down to kiss him as she continued with the buttons.

He groaned into her mouth as she ran her hands against his t-shirt covered chest when she finished. Finally pulling the tie off and sitting it on the bed next to them, she pushed the dress shirt off his shoulders, then leaned back to help him with tugging the t-shirt up and over his head.

She smiled when his hair became even more unruly after that.

She reached out and ran her fingers through the mess, just like she wanted to all evening. She went back to kissing him, but she kept her hands firmly entangled in his hair the entire time.

He ran his hands up her sides then back down and to her front, spanning his hand across her stomach.

She sucked in a breath and moaned, moving down so her mouth found his neck where she bit down gently.

He smiled softly. It was one of the things that most infuriated them about healing so quickly. No matter how many times they tried, the love bruises they gave each other never lasted long on either of them. But still, they did it anyway, if only to claim each other for the moment.

Pulling back, she decided she loved what she saw.

"Mine…" she whispered, making eye contact with him.

"Yours…" he agreed immediately. He would never disagree with her about that. He belonged to her completely.

She kissed her mark one more time before she began kissing down his chest, scooting back and stretching out as she descended. She traced each contour in his abs with her tongue, using her fingers to trace and pull at his nipples while her tongue worked below.

His stomach clenched as he breathed through the pleasure she was giving him. She definitely didn't hold anything back anymore.

Speaking of… he caught his breath when her fingers slid down to his waist.

She sat up again, straddling his knees now. She smirked at him as she undid his belt, released the clasp, and unthreaded it. She didn't bother pulling it out of the loops, she just let go and focused on undoing the button and pulling the zipper down.

He reached for the waistband and started pushing and lifting his hips, figuring that was what she wanted next. His legs were still half off the bed anyway. She only had to stand up for a moment to pull them the rest of the way off before climbing back up to straddle him again.

Then she reached and took him into her hands.

He groaned as she wrapped her hands around him and caressed him, sliding her hands up and down in unison.

His breathing became uneven as she kept moving one hand up and down while she used the thumb of the other to press on the tip, sliding back and forth, moving the foreskin.

He felt her shifting down his legs again, but he didn't pay any attention to what she was doing since everything felt so good. That was the only reason he wasn't prepared when she replaced her thumb with her tongue.

She had _never_ done that before. He gasped and tried not to move but when her lips closed over top of him and then her mouth started to descend he couldn't help it. He didn't jerk, but he had to move a little. He somehow managed to control his hips enough to move them back and forth only slightly.

She grinned to herself, knowing she surprised him. She didn't go down too far; she wasn't experienced with it at all. She just wanted to try. He always let her try anything she wanted and go only as far as she wanted. Judging by the sounds he was making, she was pretty sure he didn't mind that she couldn't go further.

She went as far as she was comfortable, and then slid her mouth back up, sliding her tongue up at the same time. When he became more frantic at that, clearly enjoying it, she decided to repeat it a few more times. She made sure to wrap her hands firmly around the part her mouth didn't reach, sliding them up along with her mouth too.

He gripped his hands in the comforter, but moved his head to look down at her, mesmerized by the sight of her pleasuring him.

"Not gonna last much longer," he managed to say, panting.

When she kept going despite his words, he struggled to sit up slightly and reached out to put a hand through her hair. He didn't want to stop her, not really, but…

"Hope…"

She glanced at him as she slid her mouth back up.

"Come here…" he said, biting his lip and struggling to maintain his control. He wanted to be inside of her. He had exactly _one_ night with her since the birth control kicked in. He had been fantasizing about doing it again ever since. He wasn't sure how she intended _this_ to end, but there was only one way he wanted it to.

She pulled off and he groaned, hoping she would hurry as he was so painfully hard.

He didn't have to tell her what to do next. She shrugged out of the open pajama top and thankfully wasn't wearing any panties, so she crawled back up to straddle him, easing herself down on top of him, moaning as he slid up inside of her.

She grabbed the tie and put it around the back of his neck again, then clutched either end of the material to pull him up to a sitting position. He wrapped his arms around her, clutching her close and hoped she started moving soon.

Instead, she moved to either side to stretch her legs out around him instead of sitting on her knees. With each movement, he moved inside of her, causing him to shift and jerk, "Hope…"

"Just wait…" she said, wrapping her legs behind his back. Then she gripped hold of his shoulders to pull herself up, he nearly slid out of her but at the last second she let go, dropping down suddenly.

He couldn't help crying out as she slammed down on top of him.

He couldn't take it. He needed more of that, and he needed it _now_. He couldn't resist shifting forward so he could brace his feet against the floor. His hands reached for her behind. She grabbed at his shoulders, helping him along as he pulled her up and let her drop down again. And then he did it again and again, jerking his hips up with each drop.

She couldn't do anything but clutch at him as the pleasure was too intense for her too.

He was losing control and wasn't sure if she was going to lose it along with him or not, but he would spend the rest of the night making it up to her if she didn't.

He clutched her hips and didn't bother raising her up anymore; he just pulled her firmly against him and jerked up into her over and over until he finally came with a shout.

Her answering scream was enough to let him know she gotten there too.

 _Damn_.

"I think I like school dances," he panted into her ear when he could speak again.

She couldn't move, but he could feel her laughing into his shoulder.

"That was new," he said.

She pulled back and shrugged, blushing only slightly. "I thought you might like that."

"Oh, I did," he grinned.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Ryan," she said.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Hope," he replied.

He never celebrated any holidays before her, but he was going to make sure they celebrated each and every single one together from now on.

"Is this the part where we cuddle?" he asked.

"Well, yeah," she said. "You weren't going to leave me already, were you?"

"Never," he kissed her softly. "I'll stay as long as I can."

"At least until I fall asleep?" she asked.

"Even then," he said. "Better take the barrier down first."

"In that case," she said, looking around. "Cuddling _under_ the covers."

"Just as soon as I can move," he said.

"I can see how that could be a problem," she laughed.

* * *

"Ever wonder how life would be different if we'd never come here?" Landon asked, leaning back in his chair.

He and Raf were still outside, enjoying the night. Sounds from the after party could be heard down the way by the old mill. Most people had either left the dance and went to the party, or were hanging in their rooms inside the building. He was hoping to broach the subject of talking to Doctor Saltzman again eventually, but for now, they were just relaxing.

"I mean, I wouldn't have activated that first artifact, so maybe Malivore never would've risen, right?" he continued.

"I figure it all would've happened eventually," Rafael said. "You just wouldn't have had a badass like Hope to back you up."

"True," Landon said. "Then maybe I would've been doomed for all of eternity being Malivore's puppet." He shuddered. "Thank _God_ we came here."

"And me," Rafael said, grinning. "Thank _me_. I am, after all, the wolf that got their attention in the first place."

"Thank _you_ , Raf," Landon laughed.

"Would you have changed any of it though?" Rafael asked. "I mean, knowing then what you know now?"

Landon let out a breath and made a face. "I probably wouldn't have broken up with Hope, if that's what you mean."

Rafael nodded. That wasn't really what he meant, but he figured that was the best answer he would get. Hope was still on Landon's mind about as much as she was on Raf's.

If _he_ had one thing he would want to change, he would've liked to know Hope first. He knew that was probably a horribly disloyal thing to wish for, but it was true. He never would've let Hope go. He would've been the perfect boyfriend.

He could still _be_ the perfect boyfriend for her, if she would just get rid of Clarke. He would love her the way she was meant to be loved, not some 'weekend boyfriend' who was too busy with his job to put her first. Rafael was there, every single day, and he could be there for her. He could take care of her. He could love her and hold her, and take her out without getting her in trouble with the school. If only she loved him. If only she belonged to _him_.

Clarke just needed to go away. Rafael would very much love to get rid of him. He was the only thing standing in the way of letting Rafael be the one to take care of her.

The anger was building again, but Rafael wasn't thinking about how wrong the feeling was, he was only thinking about all the ways that Clarke was ruining his chances with Hope.

The wind shifted and everything changed for a moment.

Rafael perked up. That was strange. He usually felt her, but this time he didn't feel her near.

But he could smell her.

"Hope…" he murmured to himself, turning away from Landon and looking for her.

But it wasn't Hope.

It was Clarke.

Clarke, who was leaving and heading to the parking lot.

Clarke, who looked completely disheveled, relaxed, and who was missing a tie.

Clarke, who smelled like Hope and it had to be for one reason, and one reason alone.

Rafael saw red.

"Raf?" Landon asked, hearing a growl and turning in time to see his brother stand up and stalk off toward… _Clarke._

 _Shit_. 

"Raf! Stop!" He sprang out of his chair and tried to catch up with the hybrid, but it was pretty impossible. "Raf! Calm down! Come back!"

If anything, Rafael picked up speed.

" _Clarke! Watch out!_ " Landon shouted despite everything. He couldn't just stand by and say nothing. Rafael was on the warpath. And he wouldn't be too happy when he came to his senses and realized what he had done, even if it _was_ Clarke.

Clarke waited a little while after Hope fell asleep before he left. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew he wasn't allowed to stay the night, especially since she had a tattle-tale roommate. He also had a flight to catch early in the morning, so he would head home and work on his sketchpad story until he had to leave.

Or, he _would_ have headed home if he hadn't heard someone shouting his name.

He turned around in time to see Landon open his wings and fly to catch up with the hybrid that was bearing down on Clarke.

Landon gripped Rafael around the waist and flew away with him.

Lizzie wasn't having that great of a time at the after party. Hope and Josie were off with their S-Os, and she was bored. Deciding it was time to leave, she walked outside in time to see Frodo flying away from Shrek carrying a struggling Raf. _What in the world_? She decided to investigate.

Clarke took a second to process everything. The hybrid had been coming after him with claws and teeth at the ready. Landon, for reasons unknown to Clarke, had actually decided to _help_ him by getting him away…for now. He could see the fire wings in the distance, but he didn't know how long Landon would be able to hold onto a hybrid in attack mode.

Was this because Hope had changed him? And if Rafael had become an uncontrollable loose canon, did that mean Hope could be in danger too?

With that in mind, he raced to his car but instead of leaving, he grabbed his gun for protection and started back to the school, releasing the safety.

Landon flew in and landed next to Clarke. "I couldn't keep hold of him. I dropped him and he took off. I don't know where he is."

"What the hell is going on?" Clarke asked, looking around warily.

"It's the sire bond," Landon explained. "He can't control it. It's making him come after you."

"What about Hope?" Clarke asked. "Will he hurt Hope?"

"No," Landon said quickly. "I think it's just you. You _really_ should leave."

"What even set him off?" Clarke asked. It wasn't like he had spoken to him or done anything to incite him.

"I have no idea!" Landon raised his hands in the air in a shrug. "When you left the building, he thought you were Hope at first, I think? When he realized it was you, he went nuts."

Clarke shook his head. That didn't make any sense. Why would anyone think _he_ was Hope?

He brought the gun up more steadily, looking around as he made his way back to the parking lot. If Hope wasn't in danger, then he probably _should_ try to get out of there.

"You can't shoot him!" Landon yelped at him, seeing the gun.

"He's a hybrid," Clarke said, not sparing him a glance. "He'll live."

Clarke continued, "How far away did you drop him?"

"Not that far…" Landon squinted, looking around in the dark like he could see any better than Clarke. "I'm surprised he's not here yet."

Naturally that meant he really _was_ there—he had turned completely into a wolf so his fur blended completely with the darkness—and he chose _that_ moment to come racing with a howl, heading straight for Clarke.

Lizzie, seeing what was happening as she approached, siphoned from her necklace before jumping between Clarke and Rafael, holding up a hand and shouting, " _Somnum_!"

Clarke saw immediately that whatever spell Lizzie used did _not_ work and Rafael was about to claw at _Lizzie_ with the death claws he was aiming for Clarke with.

He dropped the gun to grab her from behind around the waist and tugged her away, spinning so his back was to Rafael. Which meant Rafael got a direct hit.

Hollering out at the pain, he pushed Lizzie forward and tried to get away himself.

"Run!" he yelled at her.

Landon grabbed at Rafael again, wings flying out so the wingspan could help weigh him down until Clarke and Lizzie could get out of the way.

Seeing Lizzie run to the left, Clarke ran to the right, cursing that he didn't have time to try to find the gun. He should've never dropped it, but it was either that or watch the blonde get clawed to death.

There was no way he was going to outrun a hybrid, just like there was no way Landon was going to be able to hold _onto_ a hybrid in wolf form. He tried to circle back to get to the gun, but Rafael broke free and went straight for Clarke again.

Wincing, knowing he had nowhere else to go, Clarke braced himself and just instinctively yelled for help inside his mind.

A wide rectangular pillar of earth suddenly shot up out of the ground in front of him, making him jump back and sprawl on the ground. The force of the movement prompted Landon, who was chasing after Rafael, to fling back on the ground too. Rafael ended up running headfirst into it, causing him to bounce back with a whimpering howl, completely dazed, nearly knocking himself out.

Clarke stared at the pillar in shock, even as he scrambled to get back on his feet. Rafael was down for the moment, but he wasn't out yet. What Clarke needed was someone to put Rafael down for more than a few moments.

Remembering Lizzie, knowing that meant a certain vampire _had_ to be nearby, he immediately called out, "MG!"

The vampire actually appeared in a rush of speed, looking around confused.

"Break his neck!" Clarke said, indicating the wolf.

"But—" MG didn't understand.

"Do it!" Landon said, struggling to stand up quickly. "Raf doesn't have control!"

MG nodded, sped to the wolf, wrapped his arms around the neck as best he could, and twisted and yanked. The wolf collapsed finally. MG was honestly surprised he was able to do that. The hybrid must've _really_ been out of it because there was no way a vampire who survived on bunny blood would've been able to take out a hybrid otherwise—even if that hybrid survived on bunny blood too.

Clarke and Landon breathed heavily, relieved it was over.

Lizzie walked back up, staring at the strange pillar of earth.

"Good thing you were wearing your ring," she said to Clarke. "You can put a stop to that illusion now though."

Clarke glanced at his left hand where his ring definitely was _not_. He hadn't used the ring. He wasn't sure if what happened was his mother or _him_ , but it definitely wasn't an illusion. He would figure that part out later. For now, he was _ticked_.

"Jumping in front of a charging wolf," Clarke said, glaring at her, still feeling the marks on his back though they would heal…eventually. "Not your wisest choice."

"That sleeping spell should've worked," Lizzie said, frowning at her hand. "My magic…" she shook her head. "I don't know what happened."

"Maybe you're broken?" Clarke asked, still glaring.

"Hey, now," MG interrupted. "What's your problem, man? We just helped you."

"Phoenix," Clarke said, pointing at Landon. "Vampire," he pointed at MG. "Mud Man," he pointed at himself.

"Hybrid," Lizzie finished, pointing at Rafael. "What's your point?"

" _WITCH_!" he pointed at her. " _We're_ immortal. _You_ aren't! I already had to save your ass once. I could've shot you! Next time, do the smart thing and stay out of my way!"

"I was _trying_ to save _your_ ass, creep," Lizzie replied defensively, but she was feeling pretty stupid now that he put it that way.

"He's right, Lizzie," MG said quietly. "You could've been killed."

She looked at MG in disbelief. Was he really agreeing with Clarke?

"Um… heyyy?" Landon interrupted, noting that more trouble was brewing in the form of Lizzie Saltzman's anger, "how long will he be out?" He looked down at Rafael lying in the grass.

"Right," MG nodded. "Landon, get Doctor Saltzman. I'll take Rafael to a cell."

"I'll get Hope," Clarke said. "She'll want to know something's wrong with the sire bond."

" _I'll_ get Hope," Lizzie said, glaring at him again. "You… deal with this," she indicated the ground, "or whatever. You shouldn't be in the dorm rooms anyway."

"Could've fooled me," he said.

"Go frolic in the mud or something," she snapped at him. "Or better yet, just go home."

"Clarke!" MG said. "Help me with him. Lizzie, go get Hope."

"Fine!" she said with a huff before stalking away.

Clarke shook his head. This night had definitely took a turn for the worse.

And it wasn't over yet.

* * *

"Landon, why didn't you guys come to me immediately?" Alaric asked, staring at the wolf still passed out in the jail cell.

"I only found out about it tonight, and I kept trying to convince him to talk to you about controlling it," Landon said. "He didn't want to learn how to control it; he just wanted to get rid of it. He kept talking about breaking the bond."

"Either way, you guys should've come to me. _He_ should've come to me," Alaric said, shaking his head. He thought Rafael knew better than that. "As far as _I_ knew, everything was fine."

"Why _did_ he lose control like that?" Hope asked, concerned.

She had been dragged out of bed by Lizzie. She tossed on some sweats and pushed her hair up into the world's messiest bun, that was all she had time for as she stumbled out the door to check on Ryan and figure out what was wrong with Raf.

She continued, "None of the other hybrids ever acted this way before."

"I don't know," Alaric said. "Have you sired many hybrids?"

"Just Henry…and the ones my dad made," she said. "But they're either dead like Henry or… honestly, I have no idea what dad did with them. I just know they don't bother me or follow me around."

"Raf has definitely been following you around," Lizzie said. "He couldn't take his eyes off of you at the dance."

Hope winced. "I thought he was just adjusting."

"Obviously it's more than that," Clarke said, not happy about any of this.

Alaric turned away from the wolf to talk to Hope but stopped when he saw her in sweats standing next to Lizzie who was still in her dance outfit. Then he took in Clarke's equally rumpled state.

"You look comfy," he said derisively to Clarke.

Clarke raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well," Alaric said, looking heavenward and turning back to Rafael. "I think it's safe to say I know what set him off."

"What?" Landon asked.

Alaric shook his head, looking heavenward. "I'll tell you when you're older."

"I think he's waking up," Lizzie said, seeing the wolf start to move.

"Okay, everyone out except for Landon," Alaric said, motioning to the door.

"But—" Hope started.

"He's about to change, and I'm sure he won't appreciate all these spectators getting a glimpse of The Full Monty," Alaric said, waving his arm to the door again. "I'll talk with him and update you guys when I'm done."

Hope sighed and followed Lizzie and Ryan out the door.

Catching a glimpse of the tears in the material on Ryan's back, she winced. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Just _grand_ ," Lizzie said.

"I meant Ryan," Hope said. "You know, the one who was actually injured."

Lizzie scoffed. "Right."

"Already healed," Clarke replied.

"Good," Hope said, sliding her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. "I can't believe Raf lost control like that. I hope Doctor Saltzman figures out what's wrong."

"Yeah, especially before someone _else_ gets hurt," Clarke said, deliberately glaring at Lizzie.

"You know what?" Lizzie said. "I'm out." She stalked off, ticked. Why was it that every time Clarke brought up what she had done, she just felt even more stupid?

"What's wrong with her?" Hope asked.

"She's pissed at me," Clarke said.

"What else is new?" Hope rolled her eyes.

"New? Well, I'm not sure…" Clarke said, "But remember my mother said I was more powerful than I knew?"

"Yeah?"

"Pretty sure I discovered what she meant tonight," he said. "At least one aspect of it."

"How?" she pulled back and looked up at him.

"I made the earth move?" he said. "Maybe? It could've been her, but I don't think it was. When I head out, I'll try to put it back. I figure if it really was me, it'll move."

"Made… the earth move?" she asked, eyes widening. "Isn't that something she should've told you before now?"

He shrugged. "Seems this was something else I had to figure out on my own."

"I guess it's more fun that way?" she said.

"She must think so."

Time wore on but eventually Doctor Saltzman came out to join them.

"What's happening?" Hope asked. "How is he?"

"He's calmer now," Alaric said. "He's upset he lost control though. He didn't want to hurt anyone."

"I knew that," Hope said. She knew Rafael wouldn't ever deliberately hurt someone.

"Starting tomorrow, he's going to work on breaking the sire bond," Alaric continued. "And he's going to work with Emma to help him gain some control until that happens."

"Can I do anything?" Hope asked.

He shook his head. "No. In fact, I think it'll be best for him if you stay away from him as much as possible. No more sparring either. He's going to try to stay away from you. Also…" He looked at Clarke.

"What?" Clarke asked.

"I can't have you come on campus anymore," Alaric said.

"But how—" Clarke started to argue.

"She's only got one more week before she has her off-campus privileges back," the headmaster interrupted. "Then just make sure she obeys the rules and there won't be a problem. But, I can't have you here. You can't even pick her up. She has to come to you."

Clarke frowned.

"The students of this school come here for help, to learn to control their powers," Alaric explained. "Rafael is a student here. Being near _you_ is what set him off. I can't have you messing with the rehabilitation of one of the students, especially when you're not a student here."

Hope nodded. "I understand."

Clarke wanted to argue, but how could he when Hope had agreed so readily.

"Hopefully he can break the sire bond quickly, and everything will go back to normal," Alaric sighed. That was wishful thinking on his part. He knew what lay ahead for the boy. It wasn't going to be pretty.

"Can I see him just once more though?" Hope asked.

"Not a good idea," Alaric said.

"The sire bond, he has to obey me, right?" she asked. "I want to tell him not to hurt anyone, not even Ryan. He'll have to obey."

Alaric nodded.

"You can tell him to stay away from you too," Clarke asked Hope, "can't you?"

Hope looked at Doctor Saltzman.

"You can try," Alaric agreed. "I'm not sure how effective it will be given the strength of the bond. But anything's possible."

"Why do you sound so uncertain?" Clarke asked.

" _Because_ , as hard as it may be to believe," Alaric said, "I don't actually know many hybrids, so I don't know enough about the sire bond. Fortunately, Caroline knows more."

Why did Clarke not find any of that reassuring?

* * *

"Mom?" Lizzie tapped on her bedroom door, hoping she was awake.

She could've gone back to her room, but she knew Josie and Jade were probably still in there. And so much had happened that night, she just really wanted her mom.

"Come in."

Lizzie opened the door and closed it behind her, heading to her mother who was sitting up in bed.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"Tonight just really sucked."

"Come here," Caroline motioned for her to join her.

Lizzie sat next to her and leaned her head on her shoulder.

"What happened?"

"Rafael attacked Clarke and I tried to help, but the spell didn't work so Clarke had to save me. Then he got all mean, and just made me feel so stupid for trying to help. Even worse, MG agreed with him!"

"Wanting to protect someone you care about doesn't always play out the way we intend it to."

" _Care_?" Lizzie scoffed. "I don't care about Clarke."

"I wasn't talking about you," Caroline said pointedly.

"Who then?"

"Clarke," Caroline said simply. "Or, Ryan, rather. I still don't know why everyone keeps calling him by his last name."

" _Clarke_ doesn't care about me either," Lizzie said.

"So, you're telling me that Clarke saved you tonight, but he doesn't care at all?" Caroline asked.

"I…" Lizzie saw the flaw in that reasoning, but still. "Then why was he a complete jerk afterwards?"

"You mean, after you nearly got yourself killed he yelled at you for not being more careful?"

"Yes," Lizzie seethed. "He rubbed it in my face that everyone else involved was immortal, so I should've stayed away since I'm not. I told him the spell should've worked, that I didn't know why it hadn't, and he said I must be broken."

Caroline winced. Not the best choice of words to use with Lizzie, but she was pretty sure that wasn't what he meant. "He got mad because he was worried about you," she said. "He didn't want you to get hurt."

"He has a funny way of showing it," Lizzie grumbled, not sure if she believed it.

"That's just it," Caroline said. "From everything I know about him, he's _not_ used to showing it. Aside from Hope, can you name one other person he actually likes? Has he or Hope _ever_ mentioned any of his friends?"

"Who would want to be friends with _him_?" Lizzie said.

"Exactly," Caroline said. "He doesn't _have_ any. Not to say he actually wants any, he seems perfectly happy with just having Hope. But you're the only other person he's ever actively tried to help in any way."

"If you mean covering the seal, he only did that because I saved him first," Lizzie said.

"But you didn't do anything to make him save you tonight," Caroline said. "And he did it anyway."

"So what exactly are you saying?"

"To do as your _friend_ said and _be more careful_ please," Caroline emphasized, grateful, once again, to Ryan for protecting her girls.

"Psh, friend," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, right."

"Now, is that all that happened, or is something else bothering you?" Caroline asked, knowing there had to be more to get Lizzie to come to her.

"Besides MG _agreeing_ with Clarke—and did you know he has a date next week? A first date he said, but really?"

Caroline smiled to herself. One of these days Lizzie would figure out her feelings for MG and, on that day, the boy would probably faint in disbelief.

"Anyway, he didn't _have_ to agree," she mumbled. "But I've decided I need to start dating again too. Sebastian was a very important lesson, but there are other, much more attractive fish in the sea. Not fish even. I don't want a fish. A seahorse. They're pretty."

"They are," Caroline agreed.

"The _mother_ of all zits popped up on my face during the dance too," Lizzie continued. "It's like, my stress formed stress on top of my other stress and decided to reveal itself in the middle of the dance floor for all to see!...

"Fortunately, Hope was there to put a glamour on it. I hope it's still working," she held her hand up to her face suddenly. "I guess it doesn't matter now anyway since I'm here, and you obviously don't care about my zit, unless you do?" She looked at her mother. "Oh my God, is it so big and hideous that it disgusts you? Maybe Hope was right and I _should've_ popped it before she put the glamour on it."

"I don't see anything," Caroline hastened to reassure her.

"And then there's Raf, of course," Lizzie circled back to one of the main problems.

"You said he attacked Ryan?" Caroline remembered.

"Something with the sire bond and losing control?" Lizzie said. "I don't really understand all of it; I just figured since Raf has a thing for Hope, he got all jealous when he saw Clarke tonight."

"I knew a sired hybrid once. Dated him even," Caroline said. "He couldn't help what he did when his sire told him what to do. He had no control so he worked to gain control of the situation by breaking the sire bond."

"That's what Raf decided to do, I think," Lizzie said. "Work to break the bond."

"Good," Caroline said, patting her daughter's arm. "He's going to be okay. _Everything_ is going to be okay. You'll see."

"I hope you're right," Lizzie sighed.


	5. You Live To Torture Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I own nothing but my own words._
> 
>   
> credit: [@hopeforhopan_](https://instagram.com/hopeforhopan_?igshid=5nwljukhxolu)

For something that happened nearly eight hundred years ago, he probably should've gotten past it by now.

But how does one forget the first time they took a life?

Of course, one of the many perks of being able to dream meant he not only got to remember that moment, he also got to see it in vivid detail.

Fortunately, he was watching the memory as an observer and not as an active participant.

"Father, I can be of assistance," a much younger Clarke insisted.

Young Clarke had gone out on his own, seeking knowledge, an education. Seeking anything that would help him understand his father and make him want him.

"Let me help you catch the monster," he said again, beseeching his father to give him a chance. His father wanted to absorb the creature but hadn't been able to get to it before it ran off again.

The mud monstrosity that was his father gave his reluctant acknowledgement.

And reluctant, Clarke knew it was.

Father thought he was finally rid of him when he left. Father hadn't been pleased when he showed up again. Clarke hadn't cared that his presence wasn't wanted. He was determined to show his father it was a good thing to let him stick around.

Young Clarke set off in hopes of trapping the creature or redirecting him toward his father.

Of course, it might have helped if he had been armed with a weapon or basic fight knowledge, but he hadn't. He was hopelessly naïve still.

"I don't want to watch this," Clarke said.

"Then don't," his mother replied, standing next to him.

And yet, he couldn't tear his eyes away.

The creature was a vicious one. It destroyed countless villages leaving nothing but death in its wake.

So when it came after a young Clarke, he first called out to his father, hoping he would come and absorb the creature quickly.

When Malivore took his sweet time, a frantic and scared Clarke accidentally tapped into the one _other_ power he inherited from his father.

He couldn't absorb the creatures, but he could consume them and hold them at bay by grabbing hold of them and forcing their bodies to mix with the mud.

The end result was an explosive bloody mess that young Clarke was completely unprepared for.

Finally looking away, Clarke winced.

"At least that didn't happen today," he said.

"You've always done what you needed to survive," she said.

"She wouldn't have forgiven me," he said, speaking of Hope. If he had killed Rafael like that, he knew. There was no forgiving it. He wasn't sure there would've been anything else he _could_ do. A hybrid was threatening to tear him apart. Was he supposed to lie there and take it?

"That answer is hers," she said.

He scoffed. Of course, she would have no way of knowing how Hope would react. He would like to think Hope would forgive him for it just like she had everything else, but he honestly didn't know.

"You know why you're here," he said, knowing he didn't need to explain. He knew it was him, and not her, who had made that giant pillar of ground rise up to protect him. As he was leaving the school, he was able to move the ground back down into the earth just like it had never been moved in the first place.

He went to sleep before his flight to ask her about this newfound power—one that he, once again, was confronted with unexpectedly.

He liked this one much better than the other though.

"Yes," she said.

"Did you know?" he asked. "Or are you learning as I go like me?"

"That's not the question you should ask," she said.

"Then please, by all means, tell me what question I should ask?" he said, slightly frustrated. "Especially if you'll finally give me a direct answer."

"You should ask what harm can you do with it?" she asked.

"What, then?" he asked.

"A great deal of harm," she said. "Be very careful, my son."

Clarke watched as the younger him reacted to what he had done.

He was so upset, he actually cried. He hadn't understood any of it. He just wanted to help his father. How had everything gone so wrong?

It was made even worse when Malivore approached.

Father had been thoroughly disgusted with him.

Not only had he destroyed the creature before his father could absorb it and help strengthen him, but he was acting like a weakling in the face of causing death.

Thus making him an even bigger disappointment.

He wanted to speak up and ask his mother what _her_ reaction would be if he _did_ use his new power to do the harm she warned him about.

Whether accidentally or on purpose…

Would her reaction be the same as Malivore's?

Would he fall short of what she wanted?

Would she reject him the same way his father had?

He would try to be as careful as possible.

Because he didn't know if he could go through that again.

* * *

"I can explain," Lizzie said, sitting stiffly in the chair across from her mother who had her own office at the school. Being called to that office instead of her father's was sometimes scarier.

"This should be good," Caroline crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, waiting.

"I was conducting an experiment," Lizzie said. "For chemistry of magic."

"I know for a fact Ms. Gregory is _not_ doing any sort of sleep studies at the moment," Caroline said.

"Okay," Lizzie shrugged. "I'm doing it as an extra credit assignment she doesn't know about yet. But she will! To, you know, go the distance. I thought you'd be proud." She smiled hopefully.

"Elizabeth Saltzman," Caroline said firmly. "The truth please."

"I _am_ telling the truth," Lizzie insisted. "It _is_ an experiment."

"Making your classmates pass out is _not_ an experiment, especially when said students did not volunteer to be a part of this experiment," Caroline said.

Lizzie sighed. "I'm just proving a theory."

"That theory being?"

"That I'm not broken," Lizzie said. "I mean, I know my mind is, but my magic isn't. So take _that_ Clarke."

Caroline sighed. "Were you able to prove this theory?"

" _Yes_ ," Lizzie said. "Sorta. I've put a wolf, witch, and vamp to sleep."

"Then you should be done," Caroline said.

"But there are other things to consider," Lizzie said. "Raf is a hybrid, so does it not work on every hybrid? What about a tribrid?"

"Don't knock Hope out, please," Caroline said.

"What about a phoenix?" Lizzie wondered to herself. "He should be easy."

"Lizzie," Caroline sighed. "There's nothing wrong with your magic. Maybe you weren't at the right angle in front of Rafael when you performed the spell. Maybe you hadn't siphoned enough power since he's stronger than the rest of the students here. Or, maybe Rafael is just different because, well, he's _different_ now. But you can't experiment on him, he's going through enough."

"I won't," Lizzie promised.

It had only been two days since Rafael started working to break the bond, but most people were keeping a wide berth from him. The screams and howls had gotten worse to the point that Emma had to cast a spell to soundproof the cells. It shouldn't be possible for them to hear Rafael but changing repeatedly wasn't going well for him. She didn't think being forced to change repeatedly would go well for _any_ one.

"What you need is to get your mind off all this for a while," Caroline said, bringing her hand up to rest thoughtfully against the side of her face.

"Easier said than done," Lizzie grumbled, flouncing back in her chair. She had tried, but she couldn't forget what happened. It kept running through her mind over and over. She kept trying to figure out what she should've done differently but nothing came to mind.

"What you need is a night off," Caroline sat up straighter. "Or, a night out."

"Oh…kay?" Lizzie looked up at her mother, suddenly very interested.

Caroline thought back to her own teenage years when she, Bonnie, and Elena would go out to blow off some steam. Admittedly, their parents never knew what they were up to, but still. It was nice to get away from their home and school life and let loose.

"A girls night out," Caroline declared. "This Friday."

"Well… yeah," Lizzie perked up. "That'd be cool…except…"

"Except what?"

"Hope is still grounded," Lizzie shrugged. "It's not really a girls night out if it's just me and Josie."

"So, here's the thing," Caroline said, leaning forward. "Your father has a date this Friday. So he won't be around."

Lizzie made a face. "Ew."

"You, Josie, and Hope, you girls go out, have fun," Caroline said. "You have _my_ permission. I'll deal with Ric if need be." She knew Hope's punishment was nearly over anyway, plus Ric was more concerned with Hope spending time with Ryan. Hope spending time with Lizzie was good for _Lizzie_ ; therefore this trip off-campus was absolutely necessary.

"But where do we—"

Caroline held a hand up. "I don't want to know. I'm being cool mom for once. Just go. Have fun. But be _responsible_. And _no_ magic."

She hoped she didn't end up regretting this. But the girls were all good girls. They were smart and capable. They would be fine.

* * *

"Who gets called to the office for bad behavior and comes away with not only permission but _encouragement_ to go out and party?" Hope asked in amazement even as she concentrated on the task at hand.

Hope and Lizzie were calling on the elements one at a time, trying to bend each to their will. Whereas the normal human chemistry class they were all forced to study since the Salvatore School needed to teach it to remain accredited had an entire chart of elements to study, Chemistry of Magic only called on the four main ones.

They were working with water. They had already managed to bring the water to a boil using magic alone, the steam coming off indicating they had turned it to gas. Now was the tricky part, turning the water to a solid. Ice.

"Me, apparently," Lizzie tossed her hair over her shoulder. "So, yes, we're totally going out Friday night. And _so_ are you. The only question is, _where_."

"I know a place…" Josie said. She was working on her regular human homework, her textbook spread out on the table in front of her though she spent more time watching Hope and Lizzie do _their_ homework than working on her own. "A club."

"What do _you_ know about a club?" Lizzie said, raising an eyebrow.

Josie shrugged. "Penelope."

Lizzie scoffed.

"She said they don't look too close at IDs?" Josie offered.

"Psh, I _know_ how to make a good fake ID," Hope said, breaking her concentration and turning to the girls.

"Since when?" Lizzie asked.

"Perks of having a secret agent as a boyfriend," Hope grinned. "Speaking of…"

" _No_!" Lizzie snapped immediately. "Absolutely _NO_ S-Os!" Significant others were not invited, not when _she_ didn't have one. She wasn't going to be a fifth wheel to her own party.

"But—" Hope tried to insist. She hadn't thought there would be any way to see Ryan that week, but now…

" _No!_ " Lizzie said again. " _Girls_ night only! Ryan isn't a girl!"

"Well, according to his DNA…" Hope said. He was made up of pretty much everything, but he identified as male so technically… Lizzie had a point. But still.

"Did you just call him Ryan?" Josie asked, frowning at Lizzie.

"Wait, did she?" Hope looked from Josie to Lizzie.

"What?" Lizzie said. "No, of course I didn't. His name is Clarke. And he's _not_ coming."

"Um…" Josie remembered she had a date with Jade on Friday. "Jade's a girl, so she's okay to go, right?" Jade _had_ said to surprise her. Well, a club was surprise enough, right?

"No! No boyfriends, no girlfriends," Lizzie denied. "No S-Os! Period!"

Josie winced. "Could we go Saturday instead, maybe?"

"We can't," Lizzie said. "Mom said Friday because Dad won't stop us since he has a date."

"Why would Dad stop us?" Josie asked.

"Because Hope is technically still grounded," Lizzie said. She looked at Hope quickly. "Don't worry though, Mom gave permission. She'll take care of Dad if he says anything."

"… You're sure?" Hope asked, excitement dwindling. "Because if not, if he extends my punishment… I can't go a month without seeing Ryan, Lizzie. No matter how much fun, I just can't."

" _Yes_ ," Lizzie said. "As Mom put it, you're only allowed off-campus for _necessary_ trips. And seeing to my mental health is definitely necessary."

"What if we just _ask_ Dad," Josie interrupted, still trying to find a way not to cancel on her girlfriend. "Maybe then we could go Saturday instead?"

"And risk him saying no?" Lizzie put a hand to her chest in mock horror.

Josie nodded glumly. She understood, but she wasn't happy.

She was going to have to cancel on Jade.

Maybe Jade could go out Saturday instead?

* * *

"So, it's really okay?"

"Yes, Hope," Caroline said with a smile, seeing how worried she was.

"And I won't get in trouble?" Hope made sure to stress the question. She wasn't taking any chances.

"I promise," Caroline said firmly.

"Okay!" Hope said. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Caroline shook her head with a laugh as Hope practically skipped out of the office.

Hope had to stop in to hear straight from her headmistress that she wouldn't get in any trouble if she went out with the girls. She trusted Lizzie, but the stakes were too high. She had to get her own reassurance.

Doctor Saltzman might not be happy about it, but he wouldn't be able to punish her. Did she feel a little guilty deceiving him slightly? Yes. But she had permission and, as Caroline said, it was the best thing for Lizzie.

Having a best friend like Elizabeth Saltzman was something she had never expected. Growing up she never let herself get close to anyone but ever since she made the decision to open up, becoming friends with Lizzie had been good for her. She had someone close to her age to talk to. She had someone who always spoke the truth, no matter how painful. Plus, Lizzie always had her back, just like she always had hers.

So, if Lizzie needed a girls night out, then she was going to help give her one.

Leaving the administration area, she was so lost in her thoughts she accidentally walked right into Landon.

"Oh," she said, stopping awkwardly. "Hi."

"Hey," Landon said just as awkwardly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He prepared to walk around her and leave. Thus had been the extent of their acquaintance since she officially broke up with him.

"Um… how's Raf?" she asked.

"In pain. Constantly," he said, tightlipped. "What do you think?"

"Oh," she said shortly. She stepped back. She knew he had been about to walk around her and take off just like any other time they nearly bumped into each other. If this was his reception, then maybe he should keep walking.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head at himself. He missed her, and if he was ever going to get to a place where he could at least be friends with her, he needed to try to be civil and…well, nice. "I know he wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you."

"I'm sure he's wishing he hadn't bothered right about now," she said, relaxing slightly, taking the apology in stride.

"He'll get through it," he said.

"Yeah…" she said. "Um, I know I can't see him but, if he needs anything, let me know? I'll help any way I can."

"Okay," he nodded, then grew silent.

The tension getting to her, she shifted and decided it was time to end the conversation.

"Well, I guess—"

"I don't suppose," he spoke up again quickly, "you could talk to the wolves?"

"What about?" she asked.

"They're having a problem with him being alpha," he said. "He wasn't around much this school year, and now he's a hybrid which means he's not technically a _wolf_ anymore. They're saying he shouldn't even be a part of the pack because he's more… like you."

"But I'm only not a member of the pack because I _chose_ not to be," she said. "He's still a wolf."

"But he's also a vamp," he said. "They're saying he's different. Like you. Like me. Like Wade. They think we should be our own faction. They want a different alpha."

"Do they have someone in mind?" she asked, feeling uncomfortable. She thought she left the faction issues behind in New Orleans back when they tore her family apart by coming after her mother.

"Not yet, but if anyone starts thinking they could take over…"

"They'll have to challenge Raf."

"Or not?" he finished. "He's not really up to it right now. But also, they don't want to challenge him. They don't think they should have to since he's a hybrid, not a wolf."

"What does Raf say?" she asked.

"I haven't told him yet," he said. "He has enough on his mind."

"Does he even still _want_ to be alpha?" she asked thoughtfully. "He only originally challenged Jed to help _you_. He wanted to be on the council to vote for you to stay."

"I guess…I should ask him?" he said.

"Find out what he wants," she said. "Let me know. If he still wants to be alpha, I'll talk to the wolves."

He nodded, "Okay. And, um… thank you."

"Anytime," she said, smiling slightly.

* * *

"Reintegration is going to take a while for _that_ one," Veronica said, staring through the glass to the pit below.

The monster just released was being hosed down to remove the thick black mud.

Clarke shrugged. "It'd be more helpful if that serum was ready."

"I've been assured it should be any day now," she said.

"You've been saying that for two months," he said, not giving away any emotion. He was frustrated, but she didn't need to know that.

"These things take time," she placated him.

"Too bad the original creators had to be killed," he said.

She nodded.

"Most of the associates of these creatures are long since gone," she said. "A serum isn't needed to help them be remembered."

"That's all for today," Clarke said into the intercom.

He turned to head back to his office with Veronica following closely.

"Same time tomorrow?" she asked.

He nodded.

Reintegration was a slow process, but he did what he could. The creatures in Malivore had been stuck there for years, decades, centuries even. And there were so many of them.

Trying to work his way through to find the ones that shouldn't be there wasn't an easy task, nor was it a fast one. He did a few a day when he was at headquarters. He had created a division within Triad devoted solely to helping the creatures he released to adjust to living in the world again. He also made sure a close eye was kept on them to ensure they really weren't up to evil. He hadn't been wrong yet, but anything was possible.

"That'll be all," he said as he reached his office door.

He checked the time and smiled when he noticed it was nearly time to talk to Hope.

She always made his day better.

* * *

"You're _sure_ …?" Clarke asked, shaking his head hearing about a girls night out. If she got in more trouble…

"I'm _sure_ ," Hope insisted, smiling at her laptop as she sat cross-legged on her comforter.

Skype-ing with Ryan was better than trying to FaceTime. His face was much bigger and clearer. She would've preferred him in person, of course, but this was okay. Sometimes she astral projected to him but that became too much of a tease when she was _that_ close to him and couldn't touch him.

Clarke had never been much for sharing Hope. He thought he had been doing pretty well when it came to her friends, but he was slightly annoyed that she was going to get to go off campus and he couldn't join her. He had already given Veronica permission to schedule him to work that weekend since he knew he couldn't go to her and she couldn't come to him, so he wouldn't be in town anyway.

But he would've cancelled everything for her.

"So, you're going to…?"

"Some place Josie heard of from her ex," Hope shrugged. "None of us have ever really…"

"Done anything in the real world?" he finished for her.

"Hey, that's not true," she argued. "We do plenty."

"Right, and the vampires at your school are learning to live in the real world by _not_ having any contacts with humans," he said sarcastically. "Tell me again how well they do after graduation?"

"Ryan, stop," she rolled her eyes. "They do fine."

"I'm just saying," he shrugged. "The students there are sheltered."

"I go out in the real world plenty," she insisted.

"In that case, have fun on Friday," he said.

She frowned and jerked her head back, studying him.

"You're mad."

"No," he sighed. "I'm frustrated. When do other people stop dictating when I get to see you?"

"It's just one more weekend," she said. "Next week I'll be all yours. I promise. Friday night, Saturday, _and_ Sunday—I'll just go back to school at night, but I'll come home in the morning. Well, after yoga on Saturday, but still."

That wasn't what he meant. But she was right.

Also… he hated to admit it, but Alaric had a good point…

"Bring your school stuff with you," he said.

She shook her head, "I'll take care of it during the week. I just want to spend time with you."

"And you will," he said. "While I help you get caught up."

She stared at him, wondering where that had come from. She didn't think he understood why she kept up with school, but she hadn't minded. He had his thing with Triad, and she had her schoolwork.

"Okay…" she said softly. "I didn't think you cared."

"It's important to you, isn't it?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Then it's important to me," he said.

She smiled. "Thank you."

He nodded. "How are things with the hybrid?"

"When he's in the cell, he changes for hours. At least he has the past couple of days."

"When he's not, he doesn't come near you?"

She shook her head. "No, I haven't seen him at all. Landon said he's in a lot of pain and the wolves are trying to replace him as alpha. But otherwise, nothing directly from him. I guess he's obeying what I said."

He nodded and looked down, deep in thought.

"What?" she asked.

"How did he get so bad without anyone knowing?" he asked. "Without _you_ knowing?"

"I guess I just thought it was normal for what he was going through?" she offered.

"And what Lizzie said at dinner," he said. "He definitely never—"

" _No_ ," she insisted firmly. "He's never touched me. I told you that. Why are you asking again?"

"Because he came after me in a jealous rage," he said, "Which makes me wonder if he thinks he has some kind of claim on you."

"He doesn't," she said.

"We know that, but nothing about him turning into a hybrid has been normal," he said, though admittedly he wasn't sure what _was_ normal. "I don't like the idea of him being let out of the cell at all."

"He's not a prisoner," she said. "He's taking the steps to get better."

"I'm worried about you."

"Ryan, you _know_ I can take care of myself," she reminded him. "Plus, Rafael would never hurt me. _You_ , yeah, but _me_? No. Stop worrying."

"Can't help it," he said. "Habit."

_Boom!_

Hope's head swung up and she saw that her roommate had arrived to turn in for the evening, slamming the door closed to announce her presence as she often did.

"Guess that's my cue," he said, knowing that sound by now too.

"I love you," she said, blowing a kiss to the screen.

"I love you," he said too.

"And stop worrying!"

"I'll try," he said.

"Are you done yet?" Alyssa said sharply.

"Yeah, yeah," Hope rolled her eyes. "Bye!" She turned off the app.

"Do you mind?" she asked Alyssa.

"Not really," Alyssa said haughtily.

Hope leaned back warily when Alyssa walked across to her side of the room.

"Yes?..." Hope asked. Alyssa rarely came into her space, at least while she was there. Who knew what she snooped through when Hope wasn't around.

"I know about your plans," Alyssa said. "For Friday."

"So?" Hope said, shrugging. She had permission from Caroline, so if Alyssa wanted to tell on her again, it didn't matter.

"I'm going with you," Alyssa said.

"As if!" Hope burst out laughing. "I don't think so."

"I'll tell Doctor Saltzman if you don't let me," Alyssa threatened. "I know he doesn't know _you're_ going."

"Then we'll just cancel until I can," Hope said. "Anything so we don't have to go with _you_. Why would you want to hang out with us anyway?"

"I don't," Alyssa said, crossing her arms. "I'm bored and want to go to a club. I won't even talk to you once we get there."

"You mean, you want to ride with us then ignore us once you get there?" Hope asked. "What you're asking for is a ride. Just call a Lyft. You can do that yourself."

Alyssa picked at some imaginary lint. "Going to clubs alone can be…"

Hope sighed, "Dangerous. You're a witch, you know."

"Not like we're allowed to use witchcraft outside of school," she said.

Hope could read between the lines. Alyssa didn't have any friends to go with her, but she didn't want to go alone. And if she _did_ go alone but had to use witchcraft and the school found out about it, she would get in trouble. She already had one huge mark against her for sending the Saltzmans to the Prison World and nearly getting them killed. She didn't want to get expelled.

But this was Alyssa Chang.

She was the pain in her ass roommate who annoyed her at every opportunity and was responsible for telling on her so her off-campus privileges were revoked.

" _No_!" Hope said again, laughing at the entire situation. "There is _no_ way you're going with us."

"Two," Alyssa held up two fingers.

"Two, what?"

"I'll give you two freebies," Alyssa said. "I come with you, and you can stay off campus twice without me reporting it."

Hope stopped laughing but looked at her hard, trying to decide if she was messing with her.

"Of course, you'll have to tell me when you do," Alyssa said haughtily. "I'm not getting in trouble because I think you're staying out but instead some monster decided to turn you into kitty chow. Then I'll be asked why I didn't report it."

"Not two," Hope said.

"Fine," Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Three."

Hope shook her head. " _All_. Anytime I want to stay out overnight, you keep your mouth shut."

"Don't be ridiculous," Alyssa said. "You'll get caught eventually and then I'll get in trouble again."

"That's my deal," Hope said. "Take it or leave it."

Alyssa stared her down before finally, "Fine."

Hope's eyes widened slightly.

" _IF!_ " Alyssa held up a finger.

 _Of course_ , Hope sighed.

"I'm invited to all other future girl's night events too," Alyssa said. She looked at her nails to study them, avoiding Hope's shocked face. "Assuming I choose to lower myself to attend such an event."

Hope knew Lizzie was going to kill her, but…

"Deal."

She couldn't wait to tell Ryan.

* * *

"You live to torture me."

"C'mon, Lizzie," Hope whispered while sitting next to her friend during History of Witchcraft.

" _Alyssa_?!" Lizzie said. "You couldn't have asked me first?"

"You would've said no," Hope said. "Besides, it was kinda in the moment. I was afraid she'd rescind the offer."

"I might rescind _mine_ ," Lizzie grumbled.

"Please?" Hope begged. "We'll be your best friends?"

"You and Clarke _so_ owe me," Lizzie said, unable to believe she was agreeing to this.

"Besides, she said all _future_ girls night out events," Hope said, "but we only have the one planned. Who's to say we'll ever do this again anyway?"

"Am I interrupting your conversation, Miss Mikaelson, Miss Saltzman," their teacher asked.

"No, ma'am," Hope said immediately sitting up straight and staring at the blackboard.

Annoyed, Lizzie reacted without thinking, " _Somnum!_ "

Every student stared in shock as their teacher immediately fell to the floor in a dead sleep.

"Lizzie!" Hope squeaked.

"Oh… right," Lizzie said, remembering she wasn't supposed to do that anymore. "Oops. She, uh, looked tired. She needed a nap."

Lizzie looked down at the teacher.

At least she knew it worked on older witches too.

Check.

* * *

"I still don't get it," Jade said.

"I guess he likes it here?" Josie said.

They were watching Jed. He was practicing with a soccer ball, but he was running drills all by himself. He had excellent control of the ball though.

He just didn't seem like his usual self.

"He only liked it here when Ethan was here too," Jade pointed out. "So why didn't he decide to transfer back? It's clear he's not having as much fun."

Josie wondered if it had anything to do with the gossip about him and Alyssa. But, she really didn't know. She didn't know Jed much at all. He liked to hang out with her and Jade at school though. He and Jade teased each other a lot, but he was mostly just sweet to Josie.

"Maybe he's got something to work through?" Josie asked.

"Maybe?" Jade said, shrugging.

"Um, anyway, I have to ask…" Josie started.

"Oh yeah, did you figure out where you wanted to take me?" Jade asked, perking up. "Or are you going to surprise me completely? I'm good with absolutely _anything_ though, just so you know."

"A surprise," Josie said, mainly because she hadn't figured out anything yet. "But Saturday is really a better day for the surprise."

Jade shook her head, "Sorry, I'm becoming a sorceress."

"A what?"

Jade laughed, "Wade's into dungeons and dragons? He wanted a fourth. He's already got Landon and Rafael. He asked me, and I figured I was free, so yeah. Whatever the surprise is, we can do it some other time. We'll do something else this Friday."

Josie winced. There was no getting around it. She was going to have to cancel.

"Well, you see," Josie said, "Um…"

"Spit it out, Jos," Jade said. "What's up?"

"Can we go out next weekend instead?" Josie asked.

Jade looked at her thoughtfully. "Why?"

"Something… kind of came up?" Josie said with a hesitant smile.

"Translation, Lizzie and Hope want to do something and you want to go with them," Jade said, not needing her girlfriend to explain.

"Mom said it would be good for Lizzie to get away, so we're having a girls night out," Josie explained.

"And you couldn't have told them you already made plans?" Jade asked.

"I…"

"You _could_ have, but then they would've gone without you," Jade answered for her. "And you'd rather go with them than with me."

"It's for Lizzie," Josie grasped onto that excuse for all she was worth. She knew it was wrong, but she didn't know what else to say.

"Uh huh," Jade said, looking away.

"If you and me could just go out Saturday…" Josie tried.

"I told you," Jade said. "I already made plans. I'm not cancelling on my friends. I don't cancel on the people I care about."

"I'm sorry," Josie said, feeling terrible.

"Yeah, well, so am I," Jade said, standing up. "I'm gonna go hang with Jed. See you."

Josie needed to figure out a way to fix this, she just wasn't sure how.

* * *

When his phone rang on Wednesday evening and the caller ID showed Clarke, Alaric answered with a roll of the eyes.

He wasn't surprised. He should've even _expected_ the call. Clarke hadn't been happy to learn that he couldn't come on campus anymore. That, coupled with Hope's punishment, meant Clarke would do anything he could to see Hope that week.

Fortifying himself for the conversation ahead, having no issue shutting the man down, Alaric answered.

"What do you want, Clarke?"

"Interesting story," Clarke began. "We've been tracking someone or some _thing_ for weeks now. Real bad stuff. Breaking into vaults, killing security guards, attacking my operatives. Then disappearing into the wind."

 _Not what I expected_ , Alaric thought. He cleared his throat. "That's some story. So, why are you sharing it with me?"

"The story just got even more interesting when we tracked them to a very special school on the west coast," Clarke said. "One that specializes in supernaturals. Specifically—"

"Witches," Alaric interrupted to finish for him. He put his hand to his forehead. "Shit."

"I assume that means you figured it out."

"Wendy," Alaric sighed. "What do you need me to do?"

"She's left the school, clearly. Near as we can tell, she knows exactly _one_ person as she's lost contact with everyone else," Clarke explained. "Tends to happen when imprisoned for ten years."

"Get on with it," Alaric said, already knowing this wasn't going to be pretty. He should've known. Jade had turned off her humanity before being sent away but it was turned back on now. Wendy though? Just like Diego, Wendy did everything she had done while her humanity was firmly intact. He should've never let her go.

"Since you've made it abundantly clear I can't come on campus, and the rest of my operatives are humans and can't go about unnoticed, someone needs to keep an eye out in case she decides to contact that friend."

"Jade goes to Mystic Falls High," Alaric pointed out. "I can't follow her there."

"Just cover the Salvatore school," Clarke said. "Let me know if you see anything."

"Will do," Alaric said before hanging up.

 _Damn it_.


	6. Girls' Night Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visit my instagram [@gleechild_fic](https://instagram.com/gleechild_fic?igshid=75x89zknu2oc) for a fun Girls' Night Out video and graphics created _just_ for this chapter by my fabulous friend [@clarke_the_mudman](https://instagram.com/clarke_the_mudman?igshid=tpv31u612nhq). Thank you, Anna!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I own nothing but my own words._
> 
>   
> credit: [@clarke_the_mudman](https://instagram.com/clarke_the_mudman?igshid=tpv31u612nhq)

"Ok, we got in!" Lizzie exclaimed loudly, relieved they didn't have to wait outside any longer. Her blue mini-dress hardly covered her and she was freezing.

She was also relieved Hope hadn't been exaggerating about making fake IDs.

"Remember," she continued. "It's girls' night out! We're here to have fun, let loose, and take a break from all our worries!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Hope replied, grinning with a tilt of her head, shaking the hoop earrings Lizzie insisted she should wear. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. Her outfit consisted of a purple cami with a tight wraparound black mini skirt. When they were getting ready she felt slightly uncomfortable but now that they were out she was feeling great.

"And we can start with these!" Alyssa said as she turned from the bar holding two shots in each hand. She held one hand out to Josie and Hope who quickly took theirs. "I agree! Time to loosen up girls!"

"Not what I meant!" Lizzie replied sarcastically, not bothering to take one from Alyssa's other hand. She didn't need that to have fun. Plus, she was driving. Also, her mind was crazy enough as it was. She didn't need to be inebriated to lose further control.

"Suit yourself!" Alyssa shrugged and tossed back both her and Lizzie's shots.

The other two girls looked at each other, shrugged, and drank their shots as well.

Making a face at the taste, Josie put the empty glass on the counter and said, "Let's dance!" She grabbed hold of Lizzie's hand, dragging her off before she said anything else to Alyssa.

Alyssa had been surprisingly pleasant that evening thus far. Josie knew Hope was worried it would turn into World War III when Lizzie and Alyssa were forced to spend time together. Alyssa wasn't Josie's favorite person either, especially not after she sent them all to the prison world with Uncle Kai, but considering Josie was responsible for raising Malivore a few months ago, she figured she could _try_ to forgive her. They all made mistakes and deserved a second chance.

Hope hadn't really ever drank alcohol for recreational purposes before, just for special occasions. Most of her family consumed it on the regular, but she never saw the appeal. Tonight, though, she decided she was going out to have fun and experience the _real world_ , as Clarke would say. She was going to try new things, and having a shot with the girls to kick off the night was definitely new.

She followed Lizzie and Josie, glancing to make sure Alyssa followed. She may not know quite what to make of Alyssa coming with them, but she would keep an eye out for her anyway.

The girls danced together or, in Alyssa's case, with others.

Dancing at a club was _very_ different from school dances, Hope noted quickly. Everyone was basically squished together like sardines, not that most people minded. Hope stayed close to Lizzie and Josie, but Alyssa had no qualms about dancing and, quite literally, bumping and grinding with any random person she happened to bump into.

Hope was having so much fun, she didn't think twice when Alyssa tapped her shoulder and waved, letting her know she was taking off from the dance floor. She should've known Alyssa would do her own thing though. She wasn't exactly there to hang with them.

The club was set up with a pulsing dance floor that was surrounded with sound barriers to muffle the music _slightly_ closer to the bar and table areas. The entire place was still _loud_ , but they hadn't needed to yell quite as loudly by the bar as they needed to closer to the dj booth.

Later, Josie grabbed Lizzie and Hope's arms.

"Check on Alyssa?" Josie practically screamed to be heard over the music, putting a thumb over her shoulder in the direction Alyssa went.

Hope shook her head and tapped her ear. She didn't understand a word Josie said.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, understanding immediately.

She motioned for Josie to go, then tapped Hope's arm and motioned that she and Hope were going to leave the dance floor too, but in the opposite direction.

Josie nodded but frowned slightly.

"What are you—" Hope tried to ask, but the music drowned out her words. She stopped trying and followed her friend until they reached one of the bars.

"Be my wing woman!" Lizzie called out over the music.

"You're what?!" Hope called back. " _Wing_ woman?"

"Screen the guys for me!" Lizzie called back. She promised herself she would put herself back out there. Why not flirt a little? She just needed someone to run interference so she wasn't forced to speak to some Neanderthal.

"How!" Hope called back, wondering if she was expected to pass a note like this was middle school.

"It's easy!"

* * *

"Do you want to meet my friend?!" Hope yelled out, face belying her awkwardness.

The guy made a face and didn't bother responding, just turned and walked away.

"Guess that's a no," Hope shook her head.

She made her way back to Lizzie, "This is ridiculous!"

Lizzie wasn't even paying attention to that guy anymore; she was staring at a different guy leaning against the bar. "Do him next!"

"Do it yourself!" Hope insisted.

"C'mon, Hope!" Lizzie pleaded.

Hope sighed, but she went.

Wondering where Josie was and if she could somehow find her and get her to take over this job, Hope trudged to the next guy. This night was about Lizzie though. If Lizzie wanted to find a guy, Hope would _try_ to help.

Walking up to the bar, she leaned back against it next to the latest guy.

"Hey!" she called out, getting his attention. "You should totally meet my friend!"

He laughed into his drink and called back, asking, "Is she hot, crazy, and kinda mean?"

Hope pursued her lips, deciding how truthful to be. "A little?"

"Then, no!" he said loudly, pulling away from the bar. "Thanks though!"

She rubbed her forehead and went back to Lizzie. "You wouldn't have liked him!"

"You're terrible at this!" Lizzie leaned into her side to yell in her ear.

"I warned you!" Hope wondered if she would lose her voice if she kept trying to speak over the music.

"Oooh!" Lizzie exclaimed, patting Hope's shoulder and turning her around to face a new guy. "Him!"

Hope sighed again. "Last one, okay?!"

"Okay!" Lizzie agreed. "Do your best!"

Hope nodded and approached the next guy.

"Hey!" she started, wondering if she should try a different technique to do her 'best'.

"Hello there!" the guy hollered, smiling down at her.

"Come here often?!" she asked instead of her usual opening question. She should at least find out if he spent a lot of time at clubs. Lizzie deserved better…right?

He laughed, "Not much! You?"

"No!" she called out, shaking her head, searching for something else to say. This was _so_ ridiculous. Thank goodness it was the last one. She glanced at his drink while trying to think of something new and witty.

He noticed her gaze and immediately called the bartender over with a wave of the hand.

"Whatever she wants!" he hollered to the barkeep.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, mouth dropping open. "No! You don't have to—"

"Something fruity!" he called out when she was too flustered to reply.

Hope finally found the words to reply, "I look fruity?!"

He shrugged with a grin, "I'm Brandon! What's your name?!"

"I'm… actually here for a friend!" Hope said as loud as she could, not wanting any more confusion. She shifted and smiled awkwardly, finally realizing he thought _she_ was flirting with him. "Sorry! You seem nice! My friend wants to meet you! She's Lizzie!"

"That's a shame! You have the prettiest smile!" he called out, shaking his head.

Hope smiled in apology.

He shrugged, "Send her over!"

Hope turned to go just as the bartender sat the drink on the counter.

"Take your drink!" Brandon nodded at it.

She smiled demurely and took it, then immediately went to Lizzie.

"You're good! Go ahead!" Hope said before taking a big gulp from her glass.

"Really?" Lizzie said, face lighting up. "Thanks, Hope! You're the best!"

"His name's Brandon!" Hope called out. "I'm gonna find the girls!"

"Yeah, yeah," Lizzie waved a hand as she walked away.

* * *

Even though Hope had paved the way, Lizzie was still a little nervous. Guys she liked didn't usually like her.

This guy was definitely tall—taller than her—and he had short black hair and an angular face with…green eyes, she noted as she approached.

"You must be Brandon!" she called out when she reached him.

"Rumor has it!" he called back nodding. He glanced at her but went back to looking across the room.

She was focused too much on not saying the wrong thing like she _always_ did, so she waited too long before saying, "I'm Lizzie!"

"I know!" he said, looking down into his drink and swirling the cup.

"My friend said you… wanted to meet?" Lizzie called out.

"Actually, she said _you_ wanted to meet me!" he said, looking up again. "Now you have! Was there anything else?"

Lizzie frowned. _What the hell_.

"Uh, no!" she said, annoyed.

"What's your friend's name!?" he asked.

Understanding hit and Lizzie rolled her eyes. This one had definitely backfired.

"She's taken!" Lizzie said.

"Doesn't look like it!" he said, nodding to some point across the room.

Realizing he had been watching Hope the entire time, Lizzie stepped in front of him, blocked his view, and glared at him in warning.

"Trust me! Back _off_!"

Lizzie stalked away, grumbling to herself. She wasn't mad at Hope; she had only done what was asked of her. It wasn't her fault. But that guy, he was a total dick.

* * *

"Found you!" Hope said, finding Alyssa sitting at a booth in the VIP area with some guy.

Alyssa surprisingly seemed to know her way around places like this, especially to get access to premiere seating. She sat across from them and slid around.

"Where's Josie?" she asked. Fortunately, she didn't have to scream _quite_ as loud, though she still had to increase her volume.

"Bathroom!" Alyssa called out over the music.

"Who's this?" Hope asked, nodding at the guy who hadn't looked up once. He was too busy kissing Alyssa's neck.

"Oh, uh," Alyssa shrugged. "No idea, but he's cute, right?"

"Andrew!" random guy pulled back to answer.

"Uh huh," Hope said, shaking her head. She didn't agree with her at all, but if that was what Alyssa was into, so be it. She finished off her drink and sat the empty glass down.

Just then the waitress swooped in and dropped off a couple more drinks.

Alyssa pushed one across to Hope, "Here!"

"Thanks," Hope shrugged. This one was blue instead of green like the last one. She was curious. And she was also surprised that they tasted so good. Apparently she _did_ like fruity. Go figure.

* * *

"Did you fall from… something?!"

Lizzie had found a seat at the bar and was staring down into her Diet Coke, trying not to feel sorry for herself but it wasn't working. Being approached by some random guy after forcing Hope to chase them down for her would've been welcome if she wasn't already in a crap mood because of that dick guy from before.

"Heaven?" she supplied sarcastically.

"You're no angel!" the voice said loudly, getting closer to her ear to be heard.

Lizzie finally looked at the guy. _Not bad_.

Light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a nice enough face. He even seemed pretty tall too.

"How would you know?" she asked loud and haughtily.

"I know everything!" he said with a smile that made the corner of his eyes crinkle and showed the dimple in his cheek. His teeth were perfect too.

"Then what did I fall from?" she asked, hoping for some clever reply to indicate he had a brain.

"Some jerk's arms!" he said. "Which means I can pick you up in mine!"

"You can try!" she said, shaking her head.

"Wanna dance?" he called out.

She pretended to consider, "Maybe!"

He put his hand out and she reluctantly gave it.

"I'm Lizzie!" she said loudly, allowing him to pull her up and lead her away.

"Jack!" he said.

* * *

Josie wasn't sure how she got relegated to Alyssa duty, but if she had to watch some guy necking with her for one minute longer, she was gonna hurl. She left for the bathroom, glad when she returned and saw Hope sitting there.

Smoothing out her red shorts jumpsuit, she slid into the booth next to Hope, "Hey!"

"Josie!" Hope exclaimed with _way_ too much excitement. She leaned against Josie's side. "I've missed you!"

Josie glanced at the drink on the table and had to laugh. "Got one for me?!"

Hope held up a finger to indicate she should wait.

And, sure enough, a waitress sat another one down.

Alyssa slid it over to Josie.

"Like magic!" Hope called out.

Josie laughed again.

"Where's Lizzie?" Josie asked.

"I _finally_ found a guy for her!" Hope said. "I never want to do _that_ again. Hopefully she's dancing with him!"

"You know, for someone who was adamant this be a _girls'_ night out," Alyssa said, "I'm surprised she's off hooking up with some guy!"

"Dancing is hardly hooking up," Josie argued.

Alyssa rolled her eyes.

"Besides, you're hooking up enough for the rest of us!" Josie said.

" _Josie_!" Hope admonished. "Be nice."

"Yeah, _Josie_ ," Alyssa said, reaching out to take the guy's hand. "Be nice."

Alyssa tugged the guy out of the booth with her and took off to dance.

"Having fun?" Hope asked Josie.

Josie shrugged. It wasn't what she expected. So far they had danced and then Hope and Lizzie went off to do… Hope and Lizzie things. Without her. Again.

But now she could at least spend some time with Hope, so that was a plus, right?

"Always!" Josie said.

"When is Lizzie going to admit she likes MG?" Hope asked. Then maybe she would never find herself in a 'wing woman' position again.

Josie shrugged, "Never? Some people can't see what's right in their face!"

"They're blind!" Hope agreed.

Hope reached out and tapped Josie's arm, "We're the ones lucky in love! Perfect vision!"

Josie took a drink to avoid replying.

She and Jade, well, it was fun, but it was _way_ too soon to know if it was love. She _really_ liked her. Spending the night with her last Friday after the dance had definitely been a _lot_ of fun too. She really hadn't meant to cancel on her. She wanted to be a good girlfriend. She wanted someone that was her own.

But Jade wasn't Hope Mikaelson. Josie had a crush on Hope years ago; but, if she was truly being honest, she still harbored a tiny crush. She wondered if maybe that was why she wanted to be as close to her as Lizzie was. Not that any of that mattered. Josie had Jade and Hope had _Clarke_.

Josie shifted, not sure she would ever get used to Hope talking about 'love' and 'Clarke' in the same sentence. How someone as amazing and special as Hope could be with someone as horrible as that had never made sense. Luckily, Josie was a realist. She figured Hope and Clarke wouldn't last, and she couldn't _wait_ for it to be over. And, hey, maybe by the time Hope inevitably broke things off with Clarke, she would start seeing Josie in a different light.

Shaking her head at her thoughts, she reminded herself she shouldn't be hoping for Hope when she had Jade—and when Hope had never shown any interest in her at all.

It was probably the alcohol making her think crazy things like that. She had a couple drinks throughout the night to loosen up. She should probably get away before she said something to embarrass herself.

"I'm gonna find Lizzie!" Josie said.

"Don't interrupt if she's having fun!" Hope warned with a giggle. "I'll join you when I finish my drink!"

Even if Lizzie was occupied, she could still dance nearby at least.

* * *

Lizzie actually _really_ liked this guy.

She didn't know anything about him, not really, but he definitely could _move_. She was getting way too bothered while dancing with him, so she was grateful when Josie showed up nearby to distract her.

Finally, she tugged him away from the crush of people and gave him her phone to put his number in.

"I'm here with friends!" she explained loudly in his ear. "I need to get back!"

He nodded, but then stroked a tendril of hair off the side of her face before leaning in to kiss her.

Melting against the wall, she returned the kiss for as long as she dared.

She finally tugged on his shirt and pushed him back, staring up at him breathlessly. 

_Whoa_.

He winked and then disappeared into the crush of people.

She waited until her breathing returned to normal and went back to search for Josie.

Finding her sister, she screamed her question, enunciating the words with her mouth because there was no way Josie would hear her, "Where's Hope?!"

"With Alyssa!" Josie called out, pointing back at the table. "She's coming!" She motioned with her hand to indicate Hope would join them later.

Lizzie went back to dancing with her twin and a couple new guys showed up to dance with them. Deciding to just go with it, they kept dancing. Lizzie ended up with another number from her dance partner, Dillon. She didn't kiss him though. But it was fun to say she had gotten _two_ guys' numbers. Maybe she wasn't quite as pathetic as she thought when it came to guys.

Worried _her_ dance partner would get ideas from Lizzie's, Josie quickly grabbed her sister's hand and tugged her away to Alyssa's table.

Seeing that Alyssa had returned as well, though it seemed with a different guy, Josie shook her head and slid in next to Hope again. Lizzie slid in after her.

"Lizzie!" Hope tried to get to her around Josie's back. "There you are! You're having fun, right? You better be! This is _your_ night!"

Lizzie looked at the empty glasses on the table, wondering if Alyssa and her little boy toy had drank all of those.

Just then the waitress swooped in, picked up the empty glasses, and put a fresh drink down in front of Alyssa who _then_ pushed it over to Hope who accepted it gladly.

"Exactly how many of those have you had?" Lizzie asked, looking at Hope.

Hope shrugged, "I don't know, but they taste _amazing_!"

She held the drink out to Josie. "Wanna try?"

Josie took a quick sip then coughed when Lizzie poked her.

" _Alyssa_ ," Lizzie asked. "How many has she had?"

Alyssa shrugged, enjoying the ear nibbles she was getting. "Guys keep buying me drinks. I can't drink them all." She figured they were from all the guys she had danced with hoping they would get the chance to join her at her table next.

"So you just pass them on to her," Lizzie said, breathing out and glancing heavenward. At least since the _waitress_ was bringing them she knew they were safe, but still. Hope was well on her way to getting wasted.

"Hope, let's dance!" Lizzie said, wanting to get her away from Alyssa's endless supply.

Hope shimmied in her seat to the music, perking up, "Okay!"

Lizzie stood then waited impatiently as Josie helped Hope slide out of the booth. Hope started giggling and ended up lying down on the seat for a minute, looking up at Josie before she was tugged to a sitting position by her friend.

"I'm okay!" Hope said, shaking her head. "I got this!" She just hadn't expected everything to tilt when she started moving.

"No more for you," Josie laughed.

"Maybe we should just go..." Lizzie said.

"I'll be fine!" Hope exclaimed, standing up slowly. "I'm ready to dance!"

Lizzie wasn't convinced, but she followed Hope and Josie.

Hope tried to dance, but she ended up mostly leaning against Josie and later Lizzie, swaying back and forth.

"I don't think this is working!" Lizzie shouted to Josie.

"Bathroom!" Hope shouted in Lizzie's ear.

 _Good idea_ , Lizzie thought.

"I'll take her!" she shouted to her twin, pointing to the restrooms in case Josie couldn't understand them.

Josie nodded.

Lizzie led Hope across the room and waited until she was safely in a stall before Lizzie went herself.

When she came out, Hope was staring at a mural on the wall, fascinated by the painting.

"Lizzie! Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lizzie said as she washed her hands. "Fabulous. It should be on display at the Louvre...

"Ready to go?" she asked, drying her hands.

Hope nodded. "I want to dance some more."

"I guess," Lizzie said, eyeing Hope warily.

Fortunately, it seemed that Hope really _was_ doing better. She even walked out of the bathroom on her own.

She walked all the way back to Josie on her own too, which made Lizzie believe she was okay to sit for a breather.

"Table!" she shouted to Josie, putting her thumb over her shoulder.

Josie nodded and took Hope's hand, tugging her over to start dancing again.

Lizzie joined Alyssa, squinting because she was pretty sure there was a different guy with Alyssa than before.

Signaling the waitress, she ordered a bottle of water and a Diet Coke. Thinking they could all use a water, she ordered a bottle for Josie and Hope too.

"Are you going to do that all night?" she asked Alyssa with distaste.

"Do what?" Alyssa asked.

"What do you think?" Lizzie raised her eyebrow at the guy in question.

"You do what _you_ want," Alyssa said, "and I'll do what _I_ want."

"Right!" Lizzie said, as the waitress sat down her order. "Is it any wonder we've never been friends!"

"Because you're _so_ innocent and pure?" Alyssa smirked.

Lizzie made a face at her, and looked away.

" _Crap_ ," she said, looking at the dance floor.

The asshat from earlier was dancing with Hope. Josie was still there, dancing by herself nearby. But she didn't know that this guy had been warned away from Hope already. Plus, even Hope didn't know the guy was more interested in her than Lizzie.

 _It was_ definitely _time to go_ , she thought, slamming her Diet Coke down on the table.

Standing up, she made her way through the crowd as quickly as she could, hoping the guy didn't try something with Hope. Not because she didn't think Hope could protect herself, but because a drunken Hope might blast the guy into the next county before remembering she wasn't supposed to use magic.

Grabbing Hope's arm just as the guy pulled Hope back against him, trying to grind against her, she pulled Hope away.

"Time to go!" she shouted at Hope and glared at the guy.

Hope followed along, frowning at her friend in confusion.

"Don't be like that!" the guy, Brandon, tried to yell into Lizzie's ear as he followed them through the crowd. "I just want to dance with her!"

"Beat it!" Lizzie said angrily, still tugging Hope along, nearly to the VIP area.

"Lizzie?" Hope asked. "What's wrong?"

"Let me give you my number!" Brandon yelled at Hope, reaching to take her other hand.

Hope snatched her hand back, frowning, "I don't think so!"

Seeing the look on Hope's face, Lizzie knew the tribrid was a heartbeat away from doing something magical. She pulled Hope away and got in his face.

"You do _not_ want to mess with us!"

Whether he understood her or not, he definitely could see the look on her face as well as Hope's.

"Okay, okay!" he backed up, raising his hands in surrender.

Lizzie kept walking away, holding onto Hope and noting that Josie was following now, eyeing the guy as she passed by.

"Alyssa!" Lizzie said as she stalked to the table and grabbed the three water bottles. "We're leaving!"

"But—"

"Car's leaving in five, _with_ or _without_ you!" Lizzie commanded.

She had just about enough of clubs and stupid boys for the night.

Though there _was_ that one not so stupid boy…

* * *

"Where are we going now?" Hope asked as she climbed into the backseat with Josie. "Let's go on an adventure!"

"Um…sure?" Josie said.

"Don't encourage her," Lizzie said, climbing into the driver's seat and buckling her seat belt. "And whatever you do, _do not_ let her—"

"Hi, baby!" Hope giggled loudly into her phone.

"—call Clarke," Lizzie smacked her forehead. " _Damn it_."

Alyssa snickered from the front passenger seat.

It took Clarke a minute. Hope had never called him any terms of endearment. It wasn't really part of her vocabulary. She knew calling him 'Ryan' was enough. And she also didn't usually laugh like that, which left him a little wary.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I think we're going on an adventure!" she said. "Right, guys?" She giggled again, her laugh entirely too loud.

Lizzie face palmed, then turned the car on and drove off.

"We're not in the club anymore," Lizzie said. "Stop yelling everything you say."

"I'm not!" Hope argued, still being too loud.

"Let me talk to the blonde," he said, hearing the conversation through the phone and suddenly realizing Hope was drunk.

"Why?" Hope frowned. "Don't you want to talk to _me_? I miss you."

"I do," Clarke assured her. "But let me talk to her first."

She sighed. "Fine."

She called out to Lizzie, "He wants to talk to you."

Lizzie swore. That was _exactly_ what she wanted to avoid. After he made her feel like an idiot last week, she would rather not give him the chance to do it again.

"Josie, hold the phone."

Josie, who was sitting behind Lizzie, took the phone from Hope and held it up to her sister's ear.

"What do you want, Shrek?" Lizzie asked.

"She's drunk," he said.

"Only a little," she lied.

"If she goes back to school like that, how much trouble is she going to get into?" he asked. She was too loud. Someone was going to notice. Apparently Hope was a loud drunk. It would've been amusing if she couldn't potentially ruin any chance of him seeing her for the next three months.

"On a scale from one to ten?" Lizzie asked. "Um…a hundred?"

Clarke swore.

"Is Ryan home?" Hope asked. "I wanna go home!"

Hearing her, Clarke rubbed the area between his eyes, groaning, "Take her home."

"Home?" Lizzie asked.

"The apartment," Hope supplied, leaning forward eagerly. "It's mine and Ryan's."

Assuming they were all probably in pretty much the same condition and Hope shouldn't stay there alone, he said, " _All_ of you stay there. Just keep out of our room, and don't throw up on anything. And figure out how to get back to school tomorrow without getting caught or in trouble. _That'll_ go over better than having you all show up drunk tonight."

" _I_ haven't been drinking, thank you very much," Lizzie said. "Just…everyone else has." Alyssa and Josie were buzzed but nowhere near as bad as Hope.

"Sounds like Hope did enough for both of you," he grumbled.

"Yeah, well, we have Alyssa to thank for _that_ ," Lizzie glared quickly at the other witch before looking back at the road.

Alyssa shrugged.

"Just take her home," he said, suddenly wishing he had decided to go home too instead of working over the weekend.

"I need an address, and a key," Lizzie said.

"I'll text her phone," he said. "You know you don't need a key. I'll disable the alarm. Let me know when you get there. She's not going to remember the code right now."

"Roger that," Lizzie said.

She pulled her head away from the phone. "He's done, hang up, Josie."

"Wait!" Hope called out. "He said he'd talk to me!"

"Later," Lizzie said. "We're going home now."

"Home?" she perked up. "Really?"

"Josie, check the phone," Lizzie said. "He's sending the address. We're all staying there tonight."

"Sleepover!" Hope giggled. "You know, I never got to have those growing up."

"I can't stay off campus over night," Alyssa argued, not at all happy with this change in plans. She couldn't get in trouble again. She could get expelled. _Then_ where would she go?

"You should've thought of that before you got Hope drunk," Lizzie said. "Girls' night out, Alyssa. We're all in this together. Deal with it."

"She got herself drunk," Alyssa argued, huffing and crossing her arms across her chest, making the thin black material flounce.

"I'm hungry," Hope said suddenly.

"I could eat," Josie agreed.

"But aren't we going home?" Lizzie asked.

"Pit stop?" Josie suggested.

"Let's go to the Grill!" Hope said.

Lizzie thought about it and decided she was hungry too. Plus, she wasn't ready for girls' night out to be over yet. Once Hope got some food in her system, she would probably sober up much faster too.

"Josie," Lizzie said. "Text Shrek. He can deactivate the alarm later."

Josie did as she was told but shook her head at the irony of _her_ being the one to text Clarke.

"Tell him I love him," Hope leaned against Josie and looked down at the phone while Josie typed out the message.

"Uh, no," Josie said crinkling her nose.

She wasn't _that_ good of a friend.

* * *

"Thank _God_ Dad isn't here," Lizzie said, giving the Mystic Grill one more glance for any familiar faces before she slid into her seat next to Alyssa across from Josie and Hope.

"Relax," Josie said. "We didn't see his car anywhere. Besides, if he's still out at this time of night, he _definitely_ won't be at the grill."

"If you're insinuating what I think you're insinuating, _don't_ ," Lizzie cringed.

"Can I get your drink order?"

"Maya?" Hope asked, looking up. "Hi! I didn't know you worked here! Aren't you doing that internship for the mayor?"

Maya shrugged, tapping her pen against her order pad. "Not sure how long I'll be doing that. Drink?"

"Just water," Lizzie replied. She looked around. "For _everyone_." Not that it mattered. No way was she letting any of them use a fake ID at a local place that might recognize them.

None of the girls argued.

"Be right back," Maya left before she had to make further pleasantries. She really _had_ liked Hope when she first met her, and she was still pretty nice. She just felt like she shouldn't let her off the hook for hurting her cousin…though even Landon didn't hold it against her anymore.

"What're you getting?" Josie asked Hope, leaning over to look at the menu page Hope had opened to.

"Anything but a burger," Hope said, her standard answer when dining out now. After the month of burgers with Ryan in November, she wasn't sure she could stomach one more anytime soon.

"Oooh, mozzarella sticks," Hope said, pointing.

"That sounds good," Josie said. "Share them with you?"

"Okay!" Hope said.

"Isn't that just fried cheese?" Alyssa asked distastefully.

"And your point is?" Josie asked.

"Sounds gross," Alyssa said.

"Wait," Lizzie leaned back and looked at her seat partner. "You've never had a mozzarella stick before?"

Alyssa shrugged nonchalantly and went back to looking over the menu.

"Here you go," Maya returned and sat the drinks down. "Ready to order?"

"Two orders of mozzarella sticks for the table," Lizzie said, holding up her menu to pass back. "And I'll have a grilled chicken caesar salad."

"Same!" Hope said cheerfully.

"Veggie burger and fries," Josie said.

"Grilled chicken _house_ salad," Alyssa said. "Ranch dressing."

"I'll take your menus," Maya said after making notes.

"How're you doing Maya?" Josie asked as she passed hers. "I've seen you around school but…" She didn't really associate with her anymore, not since Ethan left the school and Maya broke up with Jade.

Maya shrugged. "Okay. I've seen you too. And Jade." That was one thing she felt guilty about, the way she broke up with Jade. She still felt wary around vampires but she wasn't as terrified as she used to be. She had Caroline to thank for that.

"Yeah…" Josie trailed off, surprised Maya would even mention Jade. And maybe a little wary too. "We're dating now." _Just to be clear._

"I figured," Maya said. "I'm glad she's… happy."

"Okay, stop," Lizzie said, swishing her hand out. "It's girls' night out! None of this _blah_."

"Girls' night out, huh?" Maya asked, looking around. "You girls _are_ out pretty late. I didn't think Salvatore students could do that."

"We're being bad," Hope leaned forward, giggling.

"Let me guess," Maya looked at their outfits. "First to the club, now for munchies. What's next?"

Hope looked around, "Pool?"

"I'll put you guys on the list for a table," Maya nodded.

"Thanks, Maya!" Hope said with a grin.

"No problem," Maya said, finding herself smiling back.

Hope really was too sweet. _Sigh_.

* * *

"Please be better at pool than you look," Lizzie said, watching Alyssa lean over to line up her shot. Alyssa was on her team against Josie and Hope.

Alyssa frowned at her than took her shot. She stood up triumphantly when the correct ball dropped into a side pocket. "You were saying?"

"Good," Lizzie said. "Now do that again."

Alyssa sunk the next ball too.

"Uh oh, Jos," Hope said. "We might be in trouble."

"You're not wrong," Josie said, watching Alyssa line up her next shot.

Without magic, Josie was pretty sure she wasn't going to be able to sink a single ball. Hopefully Hope would do better. _If_ Alyssa ever gave them a chance.

Missing the next shot, Alyssa made a face.

"Okay, Jos!" Hope said. "Now's our chance! You got this!"

Josie walked around the table, lining up her shot. She had to lean down across the table, but she got the angle she wanted. She figured for it to work though, she would need to put some force behind it, so that's what she did.

She hit the ball so hard, it actually flew off the table and headed straight for Alyssa's face.

Fortunately, Hope reached out and grabbed it with a loud _smack_ before it could hit her.

Josie looked up, open-mouthed. She had _not_ expected the ball to do _that_.

Alyssa stepped back, looked at Josie, and then burst out laughing.

Josie started laughing uncontrollably too, lying her head down on the pool table.

It didn't take much for Hope to dissolve into giggles over anything that night, so she did just that, leaning against the pool table as she tossed the ball back, laughing hard.

"Ow," she said, shaking her hand.

" _Great_ reflexes," Lizzie said while looking around with a smile. No one was paying attention to them. She was also kind of amazed. She had never heard Alyssa laugh like that before. No sarcasm, no nastiness, just pure laughter like she was truly having fun.

"No magic," Josie said between laughs, "is much harder than it looks."

"Making pool an extreme sport," Hope laughed out, trying to catch her breath.

"Girls," Maya interrupted, getting their attention. "Don't wanna ruin the party, but Mom just called in a dessert order. She'll be here in, like, ten minutes."

"Okay…?" Lizzie said, confused.

"Who do you think your Dad went on a date with tonight?" Maya asked.

"Crap!" Lizzie exclaimed. "Time to go!"

"I'll take you out the back just in case they're too fast," Maya offered.

"Thank you!" Hope said.

The girls put their pool sticks down and made a run for it, following Maya quickly, giggling the entire way.

"We gotta hurry so he doesn't see your car!" Josie said, wondering how ridiculous they looked as they all tried to run in their heels.

"Chill," Lizzie said, slowing down and huffing. She really needed to work out more. "We've got a few minutes. We'll just walk _briskly_."

"Where did you park again?" Alyssa asked, squinting.

"Just follow me!" Lizzie said, walking as quickly as possible. "Keep up, Hope!"

"I can't help it that my legs are shorter than yours!" Hope called out.

"Then _you_ run, I'll walk briskly," Lizzie called back.

"Shhhh!" Josie hushed them, not wanting to draw attention as they ran across town square.

"Cheater!" Hope called back in a loud whisper.

Lizzie snickered.

* * *

"Well," Lizzie said, "I'd say this night went pretty well. I even got _two_ prospects."

The girls had finally arrived at Hope and Clarke's apartment. Hope had sobered up enough to remember the security code so they didn't have to bother Clarke again.

Lizzie had to admit, the apartment was pretty nice. The living room opened into the kitchen where the girls had taken seats at the round table.

"Spoon?" Hope held out her hand with four spoons for the girls to take one. Then she plopped the container of ice cream down on the table and sat. "Dessert!"

"Only two?" Alyssa asked Lizzie, reaching across and taking a spoonful from the edge closest to her.

"Do we even want to guess how many _you_ got?" Lizzie asked with a side eye, spooning up her own bite.

"More than that," Alyssa said.

"Well," Lizzie said, "I prefer quality over quantity."

Alyssa made a face at her.

"I hope one of them wasn't that Brandon guy," Hope said.

"Ugh, no," Lizzie shuddered. "He just wanted to pump me for info about you."

"Wow," Hope said, spooning out a bite of ice cream making sure to get some with nuts. "Sorry! I told you I didn't know how to be a wing woman."

Josie frowned at something on the counter. She stood and approached the large black contraption.

"Hope, what is this?" she asked. "And why does it look like it melted?"

"Oh, we need to get rid of that," Hope said. "It's a bread maker."

"Why do you have a bread maker?" Lizzie asked. Of all the appliances for them to have.

"To make bread?" Hope replied.

"You don't cook," Lizzie said.

"He does," Hope answered.

"But what happened to it?" Josie asked.

"Um…I kinda made him make our entire dinner using that," Hope shrugged. "It didn't end well."

"Oh my God," Alyssa exclaimed, staring at her. "It's bad enough that's all you watch. You don't _seriously_ make your boyfriend _play_ Cutthroat Kitchen too!"

Hope blushed. "He likes a challenge!"

"Isn't that the show where you pay money to steal ingredients from other contestants?" Josie asked as she sat back down, picked up her spoon and reached for a bite.

Hope looked down at the table and drew a pattern with her fingers, "Well, he just pays in other ways to get them back."

"T-M-I!" Lizzie started gagging.

Josie made a face, "Really didn't need to know that."

"You asked!" Hope said. "I'm sure you and Jade have your own little things."

Josie winced, "Not really."

"What's wrong?" Hope noticed Josie's expression shift.

"She's kind of mad at me," Josie said.

"She'll get over it, whatever it is," Lizzie replied. "It couldn't be that bad."

"Well, uh," Josie looked at the ice cream container so she didn't have to look at them. "We were supposed to go on a date tonight, but I cancelled."

"Josie, that's _terrible_ ," Lizzie said.

"It was for you," Josie said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lizzie asked. "I would've let her come!"

Josie looked at her, annoyed, "You said _no_ S-Os."

"Well, _yeah_ , but I didn't know you already had plans," Lizzie said. "This was why Penelope hated me so much, wasn't it? Don't make Jade hate me too, please. I thought your codependent days were over."

"They _are_ ," Josie insisted. "I just had to make a choice."

"Which wouldn't have even _been_ a choice if you just told me," Lizzie said. "We may be twins, but I can't read your mind."

"Okay!" Josie said. "You're right! I screwed up. I wasn't thinking."

"Relax," Hope said. "We'll figure out a way to fix this. Won't we, guys?"

"Speak for yourself," Alyssa said.

Hope rolled her eyes, " _We_ , except for Alyssa, will help you fix things with Jade."

"You can try," Josie said. "But I think this is one I have to fix myself." The reason she planned that date with Jade in the first place was because Jade mentioned she was spending too much time with Hope and Lizzie. Having Hope and Lizzie help would probably just make things worse.

"Well, if you need _us_ ," Lizzie said, deliberately looking at Alyssa as she said it, "just let us know."

"Thanks," Josie said with a smile. "So, how about you tell us more about your prospects?"

"Dillon was nice enough," Lizzie said, thinking back. "But _Jack_ , well, he kissed me."

"You _better_ call him," Hope exclaimed, seeing the look on Lizzie's face.

Lizzie shrugged. "I'm sure he probably gave his number to a bunch of girls, he probably wouldn't even remember me." Besides, she wasn't exactly _legal_ age either. Still, it was nice to get a number.

"Which one was he?" Hope asked.

"Oh, none of the ones you talked to," Lizzie said. "Jack came to me."

"Then _yes_ ," Hope said. "He'll remember you. He likes you."

"I mean, no guys really ever like me, so…" Well, there _was_ Sebastian, but he was definitely _not_ anyone she should've ever dated.

"What about MG?" Josie asked.

Alyssa put her spoon down and sat back, "What about him?"

"Oh," Hope said, looking apologetic. "I never really apologized for that."

"For what?" Lizzie asked.

"When you guys were in the prison world," Hope said, "I kinda—"

"Pimped MG out to me to get the location of the ascendant?" Alyssa finished for her with a glare.

"You did _what_!?" Lizzie exclaimed.

"I was desperate," Hope excused. "Alyssa had a crush on MG, so I used that. But I _am_ sorry," she finished, looking at Alyssa.

Alyssa shrugged, "I'm sorry I made out with Jed on your bed."

"You better be," Hope said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. She didn't even _want_ to think about what else Alyssa might've gotten up to on her bed. She washed her bed sheets regularly, _thank you very much._

"Wait," Lizzie wanted to know more. "How did I not know this?"

"We were in the prison world," Josie said.

"I _guess_ I should apologize for that too," Alyssa said reluctantly.

"Nearly sending us to our doom?" Josie asked. "Uh, yeah, apologize please. Though that _is_ a big thing to forgive."

"Forgive or don't," Alyssa shrugged. "I really don't care."

"So, what exactly happened with you and MG?" Lizzie asked, not letting it go.

Alyssa smirked, "Don't tell me you're jealous."

"What? No," Lizzie denied immediately. "If I were jealous, I'd have a problem with MG having a date this weekend but I'm not, so I don't."

Hope looked up. _That explains it_. Lizzie hadn't been interested in _any_ guy since Sebastian that she knew of—and she knew a lot about Lizzie Saltzman. So why had Lizzie suddenly been so interested in finding a guy tonight? Here was her answer. It had to be MG.

"Good, he deserves better than you anyway," Alyssa said.

Lizzie glared.

"Why don't you tell us what happened with Jed, _Alyssa_ ," Lizzie practically spat the words.

Alyssa looked away, trying to act like she wasn't bothered, but she was.

"Kaleb doesn't even come near you anymore," Lizzie went on. "Talk about someone deserving _better_."

Alyssa opened her mouth to make another scathing blow at Lizzie, but Hope interrupted.

"Alyssa! Lizzie!" Hope exclaimed. "Be nice!"

Lizzie sunk back in her seat, taking another bite of ice cream to distract her from her anger.

"Sorry," she grumbled sarcastically.

"Sorry," Alyssa said just as sarcastically. "Habit."

"You know what we need?" Josie said, looking toward the living room. "Some music."

"Stream it," Hope said. "You do _not_ want to listen to anything he has. Trust me."

"Bad taste in music?" Lizzie asked. " _Finally_ something you don't adore about him. I thought he was perfect."

"He spent seventy years in the pit and managed to miss all of the advancements in modern music," Hope explained. "He can't stand anything from the past hundred years. And I can't stand anything he likes."

"Weren't you on a road trip with him for, like, a month?" Alyssa asked.

"Pretty much," Hope said.

"What did you listen to?"

"Absolutely _nothing_ ," Hope said, laughing.

"I can't imagine a road trip without music," Josie said.

"We talked a lot," Hope said with a little smirk.

"Spare me," Alyssa said as she rose and went to start the music.

"You're going to tell me everything about that MG thing later, right?" Lizzie said quietly, leaning toward Hope.

"I will…" Hope said, smiling softly.

She knew MG really liked Lizzie, but that wasn't why she wanted them together. It had nothing to do with MG. It was all about Lizzie. She wanted her friend to be happy, and she really did think she would find happiness with MG. She watched them together for months now. She knew how much they cared about each other. She also knew Lizzie really _was_ jealous about Alyssa _and_ the date he had this weekend.

She just hadn't figured out why Lizzie was denying her feelings for MG.

One day she would figure it out.

And then she would help her friend be as happy as she was.

* * *

Something woke Lizzie.

She squinted and looked around.

Alyssa and Josie were sprawled at opposite ends of the couch with pillows and blankets Hope had retrieved from a hall closet.

They had danced around until they got too tired and settled down to watch the flat screen. Since Clarke also didn't _watch_ many shows, they ended up streaming Cutthroat Kitchen until they all fell asleep.

Lizzie had curled up on the love seat with her pillow and blanket. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but it was better than sleeping on the floor.

She looked to the comfy chair Hope had fallen asleep in but she wasn't there.

That must have been what woke her.

She thought Hope had sobered up a lot before she finally went to sleep, but decided she should check on her anyway.

Stumbling quietly to her feet, she checked to make sure Hope wasn't in the hall bathroom first.

The apartment had two rooms, one Hope said they used for an art studio. Apparently Clarke liked art as much as Hope. The other was their bedroom.

Muttering to herself, she went to the bedroom first, and yep. There she was.

Hope was lying on the bed on the side closest to the door, wrapping her arms and body around a pillow tightly. She was wide awake, staring at the wall.

"Well, he said we couldn't go in here," Lizzie said, "But since it's _your_ room, I guess its fine."

"My stomach hurts," Hope moaned.

"Couldn't possibly be from drinking too much, could it?" Lizzie asked.

Hope groaned and shoved her face into the pillow, "Let me die in peace."

Lizzie sighed and walked around to the other side of the bed.

"You're not going to die," Lizzie said, climbing up on top of the comforter and joining her.

She noticed the painting on the wall now that she was next to Hope. That must be what Hope was staring at.

"Did you get that done in New Orleans?" Lizzie asked, taking in the portrait of Hope and Clarke.

She remembered that day. It had been a good one until they found out the school was attacked. It was also the day MG bought her the earrings she wanted. The earrings she had been given Christmas morning, one of her best gifts ever.

"Aunt Bex did," Hope said. "She had it made for us. She gave it to him before we left for Georgia. Aunt Freya shipped it up here for us."

"Nice," Lizzie said.

"I love him so much," Hope said, clutching his pillow tighter.

"I think the world knows," Lizzie said, amused.

"He said something the other day, and it got me wondering…if something is important to him, it should be important to me too, right?" Hope asked.

"Well, yeah, I guess so," Lizzie said.

"He wants a baby."

"Uh…you're a little young for that," Lizzie said, making a face. "Plus, I didn't think that was possible?"

"He thinks he can. And he knows it's too soon," Hope said. "I told him. I've gotta graduate and college, and... actually I told him not until after Nik has kids."

"In that case, it's very random for you to worry about that right _now_ ," Lizzie said.

"I don't want one."

"Okay."

"Ever."

"Well then," Lizzie shrugged. "He'll just have to accept that."

"He will. And he hasn't mentioned it again since. But I know him," Hope said. "I know it's important to him, so…"

"You can't do something you don't want to do, no matter how important it is to him," Lizzie said.

Hope fell silent and Lizzie waited, knowing there had to be more.

"I dreamed of her."

"Who?"

"The perfect little girl," Hope said, her voice small.

"I guess you're just—"

"I think it was a dream," Hope continued. "I _hope_ it was a dream and not a premonition."

"Whatever's meant to be will happen, I guess?" Lizzie said.

"I don't want to have kids, Lizzie," Hope insisted. "I told him that once too. But then when he talked about it, I just put him off. Told him to wait, like, twenty years. I should've just said _no_."

"Can I ask why not though?" Lizzie asked.

Hope grew quiet again, and again Lizzie waited.

"Every child loses their parents at some point," Hope began. "I know that, though losing mine felt like I was dying. I somehow managed to keep going…But… when I thought Ryan was gone, when you guys wiped the mark away… It hurt. It hurt so much. I don't know how I would've managed to get past that. I don't think I ever would've."

"But he was okay," Lizzie said. "He can't die."

"But she can."

Lizzie finally understood. Hope's greatest deepest fear was losing the people she cared about because she already _had_ lost so much. Fearing the loss of a child had to scare the holy crap out of her. It also made sense why Hope had gotten a little out of control with the alcohol tonight if _this_ was weighing on her mind.

"I couldn't deal with that," Hope said. "I don't _want_ to deal with that."

"Hope," Lizzie said, "Ryan is immortal and you will be too whenever _you_ die. Do the math. I hardly think _that_ gene would skip your kid." She knew she was using his first name, but she was trying to be there for Hope.

"Nothing is ever truly immortal," Hope replied. "There's always a loophole."

"Have you talked to Ryan about this?" Lizzie asked.

"No," she said. "I didn't even tell him about the dream."

"Why not?"

"Because he knows I've had premonitions before," she said. "I didn't want to get his hopes up."

"Just so you know…if it _is_ a premonition," Lizzie said, "I'm totally godmother."

Hope laughed softly despite the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "Yes, Lizzie, you can totally be godmother to my dream daughter who is a complete and total figment of my imagination."

"Elizabeth _is_ a really nice name," Lizzie pointed out. "Just saying."

"Riley Elizabeth Mikaelson," Hope said. "There ya go."

"Riley?" Lizzie asked.

"Yeah, that was her name in the dream," Hope said softly. "After Ryan and Hayley, my mom."

"Your mom would love that," Lizzie said.

"I know."

"But, Mikaelson?" Lizzie said. "Not Clarke?"

Hope laughed at that. "In the dream, he apparently took _my_ name. That's what made me think it was a dream and not a premonition."

"Definitely a dream then," Lizzie agreed with her. _Although…_

She thought back to the night Clarke shared his secret plan to defeat Malivore. Clarke called Hope his family, and Marcel said something… _"We'll make a Mikaelson out of you yet._ " If she really thought about it, Clarke's name was something he made up. It wasn't a family name. Clarke didn't even _have_ a family until he met Hope, not a real one.

In short, it made perfect sense for him to want to become a Mikaelson, to become a part of Hope's family. The family he never had.

Hope groaned.

"Your stomach?" Lizzie asked.

"Kill me now," Hope moaned.

"Sorry! You get to live through this," Lizzie said, though she looked around for a trash can. She was pretty sure there was only one way Hope was going to feel any better.

"You know, if I just activated my vampire side, all my worries would go away," Hope said.

"Well, yeah," Lizzie said. "I've never seen a vampire vomit."

"No," Hope said. "I wouldn't have to worry about kids then."

Lizzie frowned, "You mean…"

"That's the theory anyway," Hope said. "Vampires can't have kids, right?"

"But you're a tribrid…"

Hope sighed. "Yeah, the first of my kind and no one really knows anything about me. Least of all _me_."

"Look," Lizzie said firmly. "You're eighteen and in high school. You shouldn't be thinking that far ahead or making any big life decisions right now. So _stop_ thinking about it. You'll deal with it later _with_ Ryan. And if it turns out to be a premonition, well, just know _my_ goddaughter will be the most protected creature on the planet. I'll see to it myself."

"Okay," Hope said softly. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Lizzie said, laying back.

Lizzie could hear Hope's breathing even out. She was relieved thinking she had finally gone to sleep, but then she heard a soft whisper.

" _You_ probably should hope it wasn't a premonition too," Hope whispered, thinking back to her dream. She remembered Lizzie raising a toast to her with a glass of the darkest red wine…wine that was also in her own glass… wine that wasn't actually wine. "I'm pretty sure you were a vampire."

Lizzie froze.

A shiver ran down her spine and she looked at Hope sharply.

 _It had to be a dream_ , Lizzie thought.

 _Just a dream_.

* * *

Josie hadn't meant to eavesdrop.

When she woke and found both Hope and Lizzie missing from the living room, she went to search for them.

Hearing them talking, she stopped by the cracked bedroom door because it sounded like Hope was upset. She considered going in but something held her back.

Everything she learned while listening just compounded everything she had already learned that night.

Earlier, she was convinced Hope and Clarke wouldn't last. It just didn't seem possible.

Entering their apartment, she discovered an actual home. Hope and Clarke had made a _home_ together. They weren't just sleeping together or saying they were in love without knowing what that really meant like a lot of teenagers Josie knew.

And now, Hope was talking about her future with Clarke and she was dead serious. Hope may be on the fence about kids, but she didn't even question whether she would still be with Clarke in the future, or even twenty years from now.

She couldn't hear some of the conversation, especially when Hope started whispering, but she heard enough.

Hope and Clarke were pretty much together forever.

And Hope and Lizzie had, once again, left her out.

Maybe she should've just gone on that date with Jade after all.

Or maybe she could still try to be a part of their conversation? Maybe not _that_ moment, but another one? Or maybe Hope would decide to include her too, get her opinion on what she should do?

Making up her mind, she tapped gently on the door, "Guys?"

Lizzie and Hope both jerked up, startled.

The sudden movement wasn't a good thing for Hope.

She reached up and grabbed her mouth, eyes wide.

"Here, here!" Lizzie snatched the trash can and held it up.

Hope grabbed it just in time.

"Go, go!" Lizzie waved her hand, directing her to the private bathroom as she tried not to gag at the sounds Hope was making.

Hope managed to get up and run while clutching the can.

"Uh, sorry?" Josie said, grimacing.

Lizzie sighed.

"Not as sorry as she's going to be in the morning."

* * *

They didn't have a choice.

They had to get to the school early and try to sneak in.

Yoga was in thirty minutes and if the four of them didn't show up, they would get in trouble. It wasn't a course that was part of the curriculum, but their absence would still be noted and reported to the headmistress and headmaster.

Hope moved gingerly, still feeling ghastly. Her stomach was completely empty but the thought of food made her want to hurl again. She had no idea how she was supposed to get through yoga feeling like this. She figured she would try to hide behind the other girls and pretend she was doing the movements. Or not.

Lizzie was keeping an eagle eye out. She didn't want to get in trouble, and she didn't want Hope to get grounded again. Mom said she would cover for Hope if she went off campus. She _didn't_ say she would cover if Hope stayed out over night again.

Josie was doing her best to keep up with everyone, but she wasn't feeling it. So many emotions were swirling around and she didn't know how she felt about them. Lack of sleep probably wasn't helping. She trudged along waiting for the moment she could get away and figure out what she would do next.

Alyssa was scared. She couldn't get caught. She went along with the other girls last night, but the reality was if she got caught, that would be her last strike. As much as she disliked Doctor Saltzman, this school was the only thing she had known for years. It was her home. She didn't want to leave.

Alyssa didn't like putting anything to chance, so as they snuck in through a side door, she whispered a spell, hoping it worked.

"What are you four doing?"

They froze.

"Dad!" Lizzie said, face lighting up as if she were happy to see him. "Good morning!"

Alaric looked at all four, frowning.

"They joined me for my morning jog," Alyssa spoke up, pleased to see her spell worked and the glamour was firmly in place.

The other three looked down at themselves, surprised to see they were 'wearing' matching gray sweats and sneakers.

"Uh huh," Alaric glanced around suspiciously. "And since when do all of you girls _jog_. And is there a reason Hope looks as gray as her sweats?"

"Some bad brie," Lizzie excused. "She's working through it!"

"Right," Alaric said, not believing her.

"Dad?" Josie asked innocently. "Weren't you wearing that yesterday?"

"Oh," he looked down at his own outfit. He was too old to blush, but he did get flustered. "Uh."

"Dad, why would you be walking around _this_ early in the same outfit you were wearing yesterday?" Lizzie asked just as innocently. "You didn't _just_ get in, did you?"

"Didn't you have a date yesterday?" Hope managed to ask, playing along.

"Don't you girls have yoga in twenty minutes?" he asked, completely ignoring their questions and his original suspicions, too embarrassed. "Better hurry!"

"Yes, Daddy," Lizzie and Josie said at the same time.

The girls ran up the stairs and giggled all the way to their rooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> credit: [@clarke_the_mudman](https://instagram.com/clarke_the_mudman?igshid=tpv31u612nhq)


	7. Trouble's Brewing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I own nothing but my own words._
> 
>   
> credit: [@hopeforhopan_](https://instagram.com/hopeforhopan_?igshid=5nwljukhxolu)

"Can we talk?"

Jade raised an eyebrow, but she stepped back to allow Josie enough space to walk into her room.

Grateful she hadn't slammed the door in her face, Josie quickly made her way inside and closed the door behind her.

She sat on the edge of Jade's bed.

Jade didn't join her. Instead, she stood with her arms crossed, waiting for Josie to begin.

"How was Dungeons and Dragons?" Josie asked, attempting to lighten the mood. After yoga class, she spent the rest of yesterday feeling sorry for herself and trying to figure out where she went wrong. By the end of the day, she was still uncertain about many things but she was sure of one—she didn't want to lose Jade.

"Is that _really_ what you want to talk about?" Jade asked.

"No," Josie shook her head. "I'm just getting there…"

Jade sighed. "It was fine. I was glad Raf was there because he knew about as much as me. I won't ask how your night went. I'm sure you had _much_ more fun."

"Yeah, it was fun…" Josie looked down. "Right up until Hope and Lizzie left me out. Again."

"Oh, no," Jade shook her head. "Don't try to paint yourself the victim here. You canceled on me to go out with them. That's a far cry from leaving you out."

"I'm not trying to do that," Josie denied immediately. "And I shouldn't have canceled. I'm so sorry, Jade!"

"So you said, _before_ you went ahead and did it anyway," Jade said. Then she sighed. "Look, do you even want to do this anymore? We said we'd give it a try, but this isn't what I had in mind. Maybe it's best to call it quits and just be friends again."

" _No_ ," Josie stood up quickly. That wasn't what she wanted. "I don't want to break up. _Please_ don't break up with me."

"Why shouldn't I?" Jade asked. "You can't tell me you want to be with me and then make your friends your number one priority. You drop _everything_ for them. Including me."

"It's not their fault," Josie hastened to say, remembering Lizzie telling her not to make Jade hate her. "Please don't hate Hope or Lizzie."

"Hate _them_?" Jade asked. "Why would I hate them? I'm not dating them. I'm dating you, and _you_ make your own decisions. You _choose_ them over me all the time. I'm not saying to not spend time with them, I know how important friends are, but it's like you only give me time when you remember I exist! That's not fair to me. So let's just break up. At least then you can spend all your time with them without feeling guilty."

"Oh my God," Josie said, covering her mouth. "I'm a horrible person. I did all that, didn't I? I made you feel that way… I'm sorry. It's not… I just…" She looked around, trying to put her thoughts into words.

"Spit it out, Jos," Jade insisted. "Why should I forgive you? Why should I keep taking a chance that you won't hurt me again?"

"Because I swear I'll do better," Josie insisted. "You are _so_ important to me."

"I just don't feel it," Jade shrugged, trying to act nonchalantly and succeeding. She cared about Josie, she wanted to be with Josie, but they couldn't go on this way. They just couldn't.

Josie took a deep breath.

She was going to have to tell Jade everything. It was the only way she would believe that she was really willing to do better.

"I haven't been blowing you off because I don't care about you," Josie began.

Jade opened her mouth, but Josie raised a hand to plead with her to let her continue.

The redhead stopped and waited.

"I've been blowing you off without realizing it because… I'm losing Lizzie and Hope," Josie admitted.

"You're not losing them," Jade replied. "Not when you're always with them."

"But not for the big stuff," Josie said. "Not when it counts."

"I don't follow," Jade said.

"Last year, with Malivore, when I raised him as my darker self, I put my powers away since I didn't feel I could trust myself with it anymore," Josie said. "And I enrolled in the local public school, magic free."

"I know all this," Jade said.

"What you _don't_ know, is how much of a strain it put on mine and Lizzie's relationship," Josie said, sitting on the edge of the bed again. "We were inseparable before that. But suddenly we spent our entire day away from each other. I made new friends. I put Lizzie on the back burner for the first time in my life."

Josie laughed to herself, "It's funny. It was nearly a year ago that I told her we should be our own people. I accused her of never giving me a moment to myself. And look, there she was, giving me all the space I needed…

"And we argued about that too," Josie noted. "She said she felt like I had forgotten her when I started at Mystic Falls High. I apologized and resolved to do better."

"So that's why you've been like this with me?" Jade asked.

"No," Josie shook her head. "I'm like this because after that, Lizzie snuck off to New Orleans to help Hope."

"To fight Malivore," Jade said.

"Yes," Josie nodded. "And that was the first time I felt truly left out by them. Hope didn't ask me to come, and why would she? Before she went on the run, I gave her a hard time for using me to help Clarke. I was _so_ angry with her. We never really talked about that again… Also, I didn't have my powers anymore, so asking me to come probably would've put me in too much danger, and I _know_ that, but it still hurt when I found out where Lizzie had gone."

"But you're all friends now, so…"

"We're friends because I forgave Hope without saying anything at all," Josie said. "But Hope and Lizzie had spent so much time together that week that they forged new memories and experiences. They became closer than ever before. I've been trying _so hard_ to become a part of that. I want to share what they have with them, but no matter how hard I try, it's just not happening."

"So on Friday…"

"I hoped sharing that with them would help," Josie explained. "I just want the closeness with my sister back. I don't care that she and Hope are such good friends. I just want to be a part of it. But, Friday, it didn't happen. I accidentally overheard… they were talking privately, and Hope was open with Lizzie. More open than Hope has ever been with anyone before. She's come a long way since her self-imposed exile from all forms of relationships. I'm proud of her…I just wish I had been a part of that too…

"But I think it's finally time to admit I never will be," Josie looked down. "And no, I'm not trying to paint myself a victim. I'm just…"

"Trying to explain to your girlfriend why you've been accidentally neglecting her," Jade finished for her.

"I really didn't mean to hurt you," Josie said. "And I really _will_ do better. I don't want to lose you."

Jade sat next to her. "I believe you."

"So you forgive me?" Josie asked hopefully. "You won't break up with me?"

Jade shook her head. "That's the most open you've ever been with me. And I'm glad you were. It helps to know, so I understand."

"Thank you," Josie said, relieved.

"For what it's worth, I think you should be just as open with Hope and Lizzie," Jade said. "Tell _them_ what you told me. Maybe give them a chance to prove they want you to be as close to them as they are to each other."

Josie took a breath and shook her head. "There's a bit more… to do with Clarke. And I'm not sure I'm willing to open that can of worms with them and risk losing them—or at least Hope—forever."

"Think about it," Jade encouraged. "Until you talk to them, it's just going to fester."

"It'll be okay," Josie said, shaking her head again. "I need to shift gears and stop trying so hard. At least with them. With you though, you deserve all my attention."

"I'm okay with that," Jade smiled and winked, taking Josie's hand.

"So am I," Josie said, smiling back and ignoring the part of herself screaming that Jade was probably right.

* * *

"You don't look quite so gray anymore," Lizzie observed.

"Remind me never to drink again," Hope groaned, joining Lizzie at the outside table.

"Given the upchuck factor, I don't think you'll need a reminder," Lizzie wrinkled her nose.

"Probably not," Hope shook her head. After wobbling her way through yoga class, she spent most of Saturday in bed, burying her head under the covers. "Other than that, I had fun."

"Girls night out was definitely a success," Lizzie affirmed.

"Alyssa's already making noises about doing it again," Hope laughed.

"While I admit she wasn't quite as vapid as I thought she'd be, I really don't get it," Lizzie said. "She's spent the past ten years hating us. She, quite literally, kicked us off the planet. So why does she want to be friends now? I bet she's up to something."

"I don't know," Hope said. "I think maybe it's legit…"

"If you say so," Lizzie shrugged. "But that doesn't mean I want to spend _more_ time with her and give her a chance to do something."

"Well, Saturday night will be the true test, I guess," Hope said.

"You're definitely putting a lot on the line, trusting her," Lizzie said.

"It's not that I _trust_ her," Hope explained. "It's more that…"

"You desperately want to spend the night with Shrek, and you want to believe she'll hold up her end of the deal," Lizzie finished for her.

"Yeah," Hope said. "And, I really think she will…"

"So be it," Lizzie said. "Go, stay the night with your mud man, make your little mud babies, and hopefully Alyssa will keep her mouth shut."

"Lizzie…" Hope said reproachfully, looking around. "Don't."

"Right," Lizzie shook her head, wanting to kick herself. "I shouldn't have said that." Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut? She just needed to stop talking. Forever.

"I don't want to think about it," Hope sat up straighter. "You were right though. I shouldn't be worrying. So I won't. Not anymore. At least not for a few years." Or for two years, at least, since the dream—which was a _dream_ and _not_ a premonition—indicated she would have the kid when she was twenty-one. But she wouldn't. Because it wasn't a premonition.

And she had way too many other things on her mind to worry about _that_ right now.

"Good," Lizzie said. At least she said _something_ right on Friday night. "You ready to do this then?"

"Ready," Hope nodded.

She reached her hand across for Lizzie to draw some power from her.

Lizzie did, then dumped the bag of feathers on the table between them.

"So, how are we supposed to do this?" Lizzie said, looking down. "I mean, we all know how to float feathers, we did _that_ in first grade."

"We're not supposed to use our magic to move the feathers," Hope explained. "We're supposed to move the air _around_ the feathers to get them to move."

"Why does it feel like that's the same thing?" Lizzie asked.

Hope shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

She held out her hands and focused.

"I'm never going to get used to you doing all this magic without spells," Lizzie said, watching her friend. "Especially new ones."

Hope glanced up. "I've been holding myself back for too long, scared of losing control. Ryan convinced me to stop doing that. And I haven't lost control yet."

Aunt Freya had warned that a temper tantrum from a first born Mikaelson could decimate entire villages—or cities, if they were using modern terms. Her mother did everything she could to prevent that from happening with Hope. Fortunately, her disposition had always been calmer than most children. It was like she was born with the knowledge that she had to maintain control at all times.

"And I hope you never do," Lizzie said, focusing on the feathers too. " _Movent aerem_."

One of the feathers wiggled, but it might have just been the wind.

"Guess this is harder than I thought it would be," Lizzie huffed.

"Shhh," Hope hushed her. "Just focus."

Hope stared down at the feathers, concentrating on the air around them.

Then, slowly, the feathers in front of her started to rise all at once.

She kept focusing on the air, an element only visible by the emptiness surrounding an object.

Holding the majority of the feathers in place, she began to manipulate the air around a few of them. She did so slowly but meticulously until she finished her goal with a smile.

Hope had used the feathers to spell R-Y-A-N in midair.

"Nice," Lizzie said, admiring her work. "Guess you're glad Ryan only has four letters."

"As opposed to…" Hope focused again, and worked to spell out M-G instead. "Names with only two letters."

"I was thinking J-A-C-K would be better for me," Lizzie said, before she focused on the feathers, muttering " _Movent aerem_ " again, and directed the air to flow.

Her letters were a bit messy, not nearly as straight as Hope's, but she did it!

Letting the feathers drop with a breath of relief, Lizzie shook her head. "Need a lot more practice with that one."

"You'll get it," Hope said. "In the meantime… what _is_ up with Jack? Did you call him?"

"Nope," Lizzie shook her head.

"I thought you liked him?"

"I do," Lizzie said. "But he doesn't know I'm seventeen."

"So, tell him?" Hope said. "I mean, he's probably not _that_ old. He's younger than your last boyfriend, I'm sure."

"Sebastian was _never_ my boyfriend," Lizzie was quick to correct her.

"No, he was just someone you shared intense intimate moments with," Hope said, amused. "Definitely not a boyfriend."

"There you go again," Lizzie said. "You don't have to be in a committed relationship to have sex with someone, Hope."

"Believe me, I know that," Hope said. "Fine. Sebastian wasn't your boyfriend. I'm sure Jack's younger than your last _lover_. Better?"

"Much."

"You should call him," Hope encouraged. "I mean, unless…"

"Unless?"

"Unless there's someone _else_ you'd rather date?" Hope asked slyly.

"Ha, ha, please," Lizzie rolled her eyes. "There is literally no one else I'm even remotely interested in."

"If you say so," Hope shrugged with a secretive smile.

"I _do_ ," Lizzie insisted. She knew exactly who Hope was referring to. She cursed herself, wishing she reacted differently on Friday when she found out about Alyssa's crush on MG and what happened while she was in the prison world. She refused to mention MG now. Doing so would only reinforce Hope's belief that Lizzie wanted to be with MG.

She _didn't_.

And she would prove it.

"I'm going to call Jack."

* * *

"How much longer do you think you'll have to do this?" Landon asked, closing the cell door as Raf left after yet another changing session.

Rafael shrugged, "It's only been a week. I guess I'll know I can stop whenever I can be near Hope again."

"Because she told you not to come near her," Landon said.

"Yeah," Rafael nodded. "I'm cured whenever I can finally walk down a hallway without having to go into a random classroom to avoid her."

 _That wasn't so fun_ , Rafael thought.

He could feel Hope even now. He knew she was outside. He couldn't go near her though a part of him really wanted to. Walking into a classroom that was in session had garnered him a lot of strange looks from students, and the teacher hadn't been too happy with him. Fortunately, he didn't get in trouble, but he couldn't leave the room until Hope left the hallway.

"Maybe you'll be fine by Friday?" Landon said hopefully.

"I don't know," Rafael shrugged again. "But I'll go with you no matter what. I won't make you go to the family dinner alone."

Landon sighed.

Seylah insisted Landon come to town for dinner on Friday. The entire family was supposed to be there. He knew his mother was trying to create a connection, but he was resistant. He tried to do that back when he first met her, and it hadn't ended well. Once he remembered it all, he couldn't help but think that she would rather be dead than to know him. She didn't have to jump into Malivore. She knew he wasn't allowed to stay at the Salvatore school—at the time anyway—so she could've insisted they go on the run. He wasn't a child anymore, which was one of her reasons for giving him up when she worried she couldn't protect both of them. But no, instead she sacrificed herself to protect him.

Just like Hope had done.

And, just like Hope, it felt like his mother had found someone to replace him.

Chad wasn't a bad guy. Landon could tell immediately. Chad was misguided and found himself in a situation he never would've seen coming. He didn't hold any of Chad's previous actions against him. Chad was forced to kill Rafael that first time. And even if he _wanted_ to hold that against him, he couldn't because the guy had agreed to Hope's plan to jump into Malivore to help defeat The Necromancer. That had also _saved_ Rafael at the time too.

So, no. Chad wasn't his real problem. But Landon resented him for the connection he had with Seylah. Even _knowing_ he could have that connection too if he tried.

But Hope had taught him a hard lesson about trusting people.

Seylah had proven time and time again that she would die for him, but she never showed that she wanted to live for him. She didn't really know him, and it was probably too late for that anyway.

Yet, he still visited her. He still put up with Chad. Something in him resisted pushing them away completely.

He didn't want to think too much about it though. Not when he didn't fully understand it.

"I'm not worried about dinner…" Landon answered. Well, he _was_ but that wasn't the reason he wanted Rafael to hurry up and break the bond.

"What's up, bro?" Rafael asked.

"I should've told you this before, though you've been a bit occupied," Landon took a deep breath. "But… the wolves aren't happy… with you."

Rafael raised an eyebrow, "And as alpha, they should come to me with their problems."

"They should…except their problem is with you being alpha," Landon said.

"They'll have to get over it," Rafael said tightly.

"Will they, though?" Landon asked. "Do you even _want_ to be alpha?"

"Of course I do," Rafael replied. "I wouldn't be if I didn't want it."

"You only did it for me though," Landon pointed out. "And then you…"

"I, what?"

"You gotta admit, you disappeared a lot this school year… you've probably been gone more than you've been here."

"I spent the beginning of the year stuck in wolf form," Rafael argued. "And then I was too busy dying, I guess. And meeting my father was _your_ plan."

"You met your father because you ran away with me," Landon said. "You left your pack behind to protect me."

"So now you're telling me how to be alpha?!"

"No," Landon shook his head. "I'm asking if you really want to be. Hope said she'd talk to the pack if you needed her to…because trouble's brewing."

"If trouble is coming, I'll deal with it."

"While you're stuck in a dungeon changing for the umpteenth time?" Landon asked.

"Yes!" Rafael snapped.

"Okay, okay," Landon held up his hands in defeat.

"Sorry," Rafael said, realizing he got a little too heated. "I didn't mean to get so angry."

"It's alright," Landon said. "Full moon on Thursday, right? You always get more angry before that."

"Yeah, but I don't have to change on a full moon anymore, do I?" Rafael said. "So, that shouldn't be an excuse anymore."

He wouldn't be changing on the full moon that week. Since Doctor Saltzman didn't know how wolves would react around a hybrid wolf and vice versa, that was the _one_ day he wouldn't be changing in the cells with everyone else.

It would be the third full moon since he turned into a hybrid that he didn't change with the other wolves.

Kind of gave credence to the idea that maybe he didn't belong with the wolves anymore.

But he wasn't going to admit that.

At least not yet anyway.

* * *

"Girls!"

"Hi, Jed," Josie and Jade said in unison as the wolf in question came up behind them and put an arm around both of their shoulders on the way to their lockers before class.

"I see you _finally_ made up," Jed said.

"Uh huh," Josie said.

"I'm surprised you noticed," Jade said. "Usually you're completely oblivious."

"Na," Jed shook his head and pulled back when the girls arrived at their lockers. "I knew, just didn't want to get involved."

"Luckily, Jade forgave me for being as oblivious as she seems to think you are," Josie smiled softly at her girlfriend.

"I'm not oblivious!" Jed denied. "Give me more credit than that."

"I think we've taught him a new word," Jade said with a teasing smile.

"Ha, ha," Jed smirked. "You know, wolves aren't meatheads."

"No, not _all_ of them," Jade teased again.

"I've got Spanish next," Josie said, looking through her locker for the textbook. "Wanna walk with us?"

Jed shrugged, "I've got a free period, why not?"

Josie closed her locker and looked around.

"Where did Jade go?" Josie asked.

Jed looked around too, confused, "Uh… bathroom, maybe?"

"I'm right here, guys," Jade said, standing in the same spot she had been the entire time.

"I guess?" Josie said, looking around again. "Huh."

"Hello!" Jade waved her hands in their faces. "I'm right here!"

"Well," Josie said, looking back at Jed. "Guess you'll just be walking _me_ to class."

"Works for me."

Jade watched them walk away as she tried to grasp what was going on.

None of it made any sense.

The last time something like this had happened to her was when…

She finally figured it out. She flung her head back and laughed out loud.

"Wendy!" she exclaimed. "Where are you?"

"Gotcha!" Wendy said, popping out of a supply closet.

"Cloaking?" Jade said. "Really? You couldn't just stop by the Salvatore school and say hi like a normal friend?"

"Not really…" Wendy said, shifting back and forth. "And it'd be cool if we could, you know, talk in private?"

"What's going on?" Jade asked, frowning slightly. "You look worried."

"I'm kinda in trouble and need some help?"

* * *

"So, this organization is after me," Wendy said as she walked around the supply room after she dragged Jade inside with her and locked the door.

"What kind of organization?" Jade asked.

"I don't know what it's called, I just know that they're trying to capture me," Wendy said. "They're humans but they know about supernaturals…and I don't think they like witches."

"What did you do?" Jade asked with a knowing look.

"Nothing, I swear!" Wendy insisted.

"You forget, I've known you a long time," Jade said. "I know when you're lying."

"So I _may_ have broken into this place and stole some things," Wendy shrugged. "But everything isn't as easy for me as it's been for you."

"You think my life is _easy_?" Jade asked in disbelief. "I have to struggle for control every day of my life. Being a ripper isn't much fun."

"Well, you sure seemed to have fun when you didn't care," Wendy said.

"My humanity was turned off!" Jade exclaimed.

"I know, I know," Wendy said. "So, you have no problem coming back from prison and being in another one."

"Going to high school is far from prison," Jade replied.

"For me, that's what it was like though," Wendy said. "Coming back to the Salvatore school, following _his_ rules again, trying to live in a world where we lost track of everyone we had ever known. I had other friends before, but who knows where they are now? Besides, how would I explain that I haven't aged a day in the past ten years? And my only family, my mother, do you know what happened to her? She died in a car accident two years ago."

"I'm so sorry," Jade said, knowing how difficult that must be for her. Jade's own parents had been killed in the vampire attack that resulted in her being turned.

"And, it may not have been perfect, but I lost Diego too," Wendy continued, holding her sadness back as the anger rushed forward. "We were together for so long. I really loved him, you know? And just because he couldn't control his anger, he got left behind."

"He tried to kill Doctor Saltzman," Jade had to say " _After_ Doctor Saltzman had agreed to be the anchor left behind so that _all_ of us could come home, even Diego."

"One right doesn't fix ten years of wrong," Wendy snapped.

Jade wouldn't agree with her. She couldn't. Now that her humanity was firmly in place, she actually agreed with Doctor Saltzman. He thought they were three unruly teenagers who couldn't be controlled and went on murderous rampages. While they hadn't meant to kill those kids, they had done it, and it was only a matter of time before it would happen again. Diego and Wendy had lived in that prison world right alongside Jade the Ripper and Kai Parker. All four of them had taken great delight in hunting each other down, turning on each other, being ruthless murderous killing machines for sport.

At the end of the day, Wendy was just as bad as the rest of them were. Jade just _wanted_ to believe she would be better once she got back to the real world. But nothing had changed for Wendy like it had for Jade.

"Look," Wendy took a deep breath. "I didn't come here to argue with you. I came because… you're it, Jade. You're the only person I have left. I need you."

 _And_ , at the end of the day, Wendy was still Jade's best friend. She couldn't turn her back on her, no matter what she did. She would help her any way she could and hope it wasn't too late for Wendy to make a better life for herself.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Hide me? Help me disappear?" Wendy said. "I'm worried they'll track me here if they figure out who I am and my connection to you. I probably shouldn't have come, but I had to. I didn't know where else to turn."

"I'll figure something out…" Jade said, already thinking. "How do I reach you though?"

"I can call the school tonight?" Wendy offered. "But they could be listening."

"Meet me here tomorrow?" Jade suggested. "I'll figure something out by then."

"Thank you," Wendy said, face showing her relief.

"You don't think they're already watching me, do you?" Jade asked.

"I really don't know," Wendy said. "I've managed to make it across the country without running into them again, but…"

"That either means you lost them, or they know exactly who you are so they'd know exactly where you'd turn up," Jade reasoned, feeling a chill. She would need to keep an eye out. "If they were watching me, they would've seen me disappear in the hallway when you cloaked me."

Wendy shook her head. "I made sure I didn't do it near any windows, and no one in the hallway was paying you guys any attention when I did it."

"I hope you're right… though my missing class might look suspicious," Jade said.

"They can't find me if they can't see me," Wendy reassured her, though she was reassuring herself at the same time.

"Are you going to be okay tonight?" Jade asked.

Wendy nodded hesitantly, "I think so…"

"Good…I should probably go," Jade said, already formulating an excuse for being late. "But don't drop the cloaking spell until I go into the bathroom. I don't want anyone to see me walking out of a supply closet. Especially if…"

"I get it," Wendy said. "Will do."

Jade nodded while thoughts flew through her mind.

"By the way, Diego would take exception to you calling wolves meatheads," Wendy said.

"That's funny, because he was the biggest meathead of all," Jade said, then smiled gently. "I miss him too." And she did. He had a lot of anger issues, but he _was_ her friend. And they were all far from perfect.

Seeing Wendy look away as she got choked up for the first time, Jade held out her arms, "Get over here."

Wendy immediately came over for a hug. Jade returned it tightly, wondering silently to herself if this was the first real human contact her friend had in the past few months.

She also wondered how she was supposed to help her… especially since she had a sneaking suspicion she knew exactly who was after her. An organization hunting down renegade supernaturals? There was only one she had ever heard of.

_Triad._

* * *

"Hey, Jos?"

"Mm hmm?"

"Yesterday, you mentioned something about Clarke," Jade said later that afternoon while they were doing homework together lying on their stomachs in Jade's bedroom. "That there was some issue with him too?"

Josie sighed and dropped her head into her book, "Quite possibly my _least_ favorite subject of all time."

"Sorry… I was just curious…"

"No," Josie shook her head and turned to her side, facing Jade. "It's okay. I felt better after I told you about the girls, telling you about Clarke will probably be good for me too. Maybe."

"So…"

"It's simple," Josie said succinctly. "I hate him."

"I never would've guessed," Jade said, surprised.

"You know he pretended to be the new headmaster here, right?" Josie asked.

"Yeah," Jade laughed. "Still can't believe your father stepped down."

"Clarke did it because he had this whole grand scheme," Josie said. "He wanted to take over Hope's body, but he needed a witch to do a powerful black magic spell in order for it to happen."

"Hope, his girlfriend, Hope?" Josie asked.

"The very same," Josie rolled her eyes. "Apparently, at least for them, it wasn't a very far stretch to go from enemies to lovers."

Jade shifted uncomfortably. She could probably say the same of her and Kai, though there was a lot of back and forth with that for them. They never cared about each other though, and any fool could see Hope and Clarke were head over heels in love.

"He found his witch," Josie continued. "This school was the perfect place. Some of the witches here had no problem experimenting with black magic, especially since they'd been told for so long that they weren't _allowed_ to do it. They were excited to join his secret little club. He made them feel special. He made them open up to him. He gained their trust. All the while, he was just biding his time, hoping at least one of them would eventually gain enough practice to do the spell he _really_ wanted without passing out in the middle of it."

"And he was still allowed to come on campus after all that?" Jade asked.

Josie scoffed, "He's evil and manipulative, and somehow he has everyone forgetting all of that. But I couldn't forget. How could I forget when it was me? When _I_ was the one he did all that to? When _I_ was the one who was finally strong enough to do the spell?"

"Josie…" Jade knew about the mora miserium. It was the only reason Jade was out of the prison world now. But as far as she knew, the sand clock was filled with the effects of black magic because Josie had siphoned all the magic out of a samurai sword in order to save Lizzie. She knew that Hope and Lizzie had done everything they could to get the darkness out of Josie when it threatened to destroy her. But she didn't know all this. She didn't know…

"I knew I shouldn't mess with black magic, and up until then I had only dabbled," Josie said. "But he encouraged me. He gave me the spells. I told him all my insecurities, especially with Landon when Hope came back before everyone remembered her. He insisted on 'helping'. But he wasn't helping me. I was helping him. He used me."

"Didn't your parents invite him to dinner a few weeks back?" Jade asked, perplexed.

Josie laughed spitefully. "That's the thing. He helped free me and Lizzie from the merge. So suddenly Mom considers him her favorite person in the world. Dad still doesn't like him, but he puts up with him. And I wish I could hold it against Mom, but I can't because I haven't told her all this. I've been trying so hard to be close to Lizzie and Hope again that I haven't told any of them that I'm not okay with him being around."

"And why _would_ you be?" Jade asked. "Being forced to be around someone like that… and one of your best friends is _dating_ him?"

"It's more than just dating," Josie said. "She's already talking about forever with him."

"She's a teenager," Jade said. "We all talk forever until it's not."

"You didn't see their apartment," Josie said. "It's their _home_. It's, like, they practically have their entire future figured out. She's not letting him go, not anytime soon. And, then there's Lizzie."

"What about her?"

"She called him 'Ryan' last week," Josie shook her head. "She didn't realize it, but I heard it. She's softening toward him. They bicker whenever they're near each other, but I know Lizzie. She doesn't hate him. And he doesn't hate her. She saved his life, so that's why he helped free us from the merge. He didn't do it for me. He did it for her."

"Wouldn't he have done it anyway because you guys are Hope's best friends?" Jade asked.

"He made it clear to all of us that the only reason he was doing it was for _Lizzie_ ," Josie said. "I think they're becoming friends, and honestly, it feels like the biggest slap in the face. Not only does Lizzie _know_ what he did to me, she also knows he's the one responsible for MG being turned into a vampire."

"Whoa…" Jade knew everyone deserved another chance, she was proof of that, but this guy was clearly bad news. "No wonder you hate him."

"I just don't understand why everyone _else_ doesn't," Josie said, frowning and plopping her head down on her notebook.

"But… he _did_ help take out Malivore," Jade couldn't help but think that was a good thing.

"Yes, he did. He freed us from the merge too," Josie said. "So all is forgiven, right? I should be _grateful_." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not."

"So…what if I knew a way to get one over on him?" Jade asked, plan developing. "It would definitely annoy him a lot."

"I'm down to do anything that would inconvenience him," Josie perked up.

"You can't tell anyone…" Jade warned. "Not even Lizzie."

"I won't tell a soul," Josie said. "Your secret is safe with me."

* * *

"Wendy?" Josie whispered the next day after making sure the hallway was clear and opening the door to the supply closet.

When no one answered, she continued inside and closed the door behind her.

"It's me, Josie. I know you're in here," Josie said. "It's alright. Jade sent me. You can trust me, I promise. I won't tell anyone you're here."

Still, no Wendy.

"She was worried the organization after you was following her. She figured if they noticed she was late to class yesterday, they'd be on high alert so she sent me on my free period. I want to help you," Josie continued.

Jade said Wendy was desperate but she would also be a hard sell. She didn't trust easily.

"And if you don't believe I want to help you, you can believe I'd do anything to help someone going against Triad," Josie said vehemently. "Jade's pretty sure Triad is after you. And I happen to hate the guy in charge there."

Josie looked around, but Wendy was taking her sweet time deciding.

"That's okay," Josie said. "I get that you need a minute…so listen while you decide."

Josie leaned against the door, and relaxed.

"Jade figures the best place for you would actually _be_ the Salvatore school for now. At least until we figure out how to help you disappear more permanently," she began. "The head of Triad—his name is Clarke, by the way—isn't allowed at the school right now. And all of his men are human, so there's no way they can get into the school undetected. But since you're a witch, we could definitely sneak you in."

Josie kept a close watch on the room, wondering when she would reveal herself.

"The only problem is, we would have to keep you in the basement until we figure out something to help you blend in better, and since Thursday is a full moon, you know very well the basement will be occupied," Josie said. "So, either stay where you're at until Friday, or there're a couple of empty houses where I just happen to know the security codes."

She pulled out a note with the addresses and codes on them. It was a short list: her mother's childhood home, the Mikaelson mansion, and the Lockwood estate.

"The only one I can guarantee no one will be at is the first one, but it'll be good to have other options in case you need to run," Josie continued. "Since no one will know you and I have ever spoken, much less would offer you help, there's no way anyone would connect you to me or those places."

"Did Jade tell you what I did?" Wendy finally appeared and asked, hesitantly.

"No," Josie said. "If helping you disappear screws Clarke over, I really don't care what you've done."

Wendy walked closer and took the list from her.

"You _really_ don't like him," Wendy observed.

"No," Josie said, eyes flashing. "I really don't."

* * *

Hope was in a deep sleep when she became aware of a loud insistent knocking on the door.

"Oh my God," Alyssa moaned and rolled over, burying her head under her pillow. "Tell whoever it is to go away."

Thinking something might be wrong—it _was_ the night of the full moon—Hope climbed out of bed and opened the door.

"Lizzie? What's wrong?"

"Good! You're still here. And awake! I couldn't sleep," Lizzie said, bursting into the room and brushing past Hope.

"Um, but _I_ could?" Hope yawned.

"Why are you here anyway and not with the wolves?"

"I don't gotta change," Hope shrugged. "And it's better for Doctor Saltzman to reach me in case there's trouble."

"Can you do this somewhere else?" Alyssa moaned. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"I thought you _wanted_ to be friends, Alyssa," Lizzie snapped.

"I never said that," Alyssa denied.

"Funny, Hope said you were asking her about going out again."

Alyssa made a face and rolled away.

"So, how about we decide where we'll go on our next girls' night, and then you go back to bed?" Hope asked Lizzie hopefully. She really wanted to go back to sleep. And where was Josie?

"I hardly think _that_ will cure my insomnia," Lizzie grumbled.

Alyssa threw back her covers and sat up, "Fine. I'll help with that."

"Told you she wants to be friends," Lizzie said to Hope.

"Where's Josie?" Hope asked. "You didn't want to include her in your insomnia fest?"

"She's on her way," Lizzie announced.

Five minutes later found them all arguing on Hope's bed.

"The club was fun though," Josie said.

"Yeah, if you like random guys hitting on you, which I guess Alyssa might," Lizzie said snarkily.

"Does it _have_ to be on a weekend though," Hope complained.

"It's, like, once a month," Lizzie said. "Shrek can live without you for _one_ night."

"Okay!" Josie exclaimed. "If we're ever going back to sleep," she glared pointedly at her sister, "I propose we make this easier."

"How?" Hope asked.

Josie sprang up and went to Hope's desk. Digging out some index cards, four pens, and grabbing a tote bag, she came back to the bed and passed them out, placing the bag in the center of the four.

"Look, its February," Josie said. "That leaves us four months 'til graduation. We'll all put one idea in the bag. We'll pull one out each month and that's the one we'll do next. _No_ arguments. I think that'll be best."

"Who cares what you think?" Lizzie snapped.

Josie looked at her, open mouthed.

Even Hope was shocked. "You realize you said that to Josie, not Alyssa right?"

"So?" Lizzie shrugged, annoyed.

"Are you feeling okay?" Hope asked, reaching out to touch her friend's forehead.

Lizzie pushed her hand away before she could touch her, "Don't. I don't want to be touched right now."

"Okay," Hope pulled her hand back slowly. "Is something wrong Lizzie?"

"Uh, _yes_?" Lizzie said irritably. "I can't sleep, remember?"

"Right," Hope frowned at her.

"So, are we doing this or what?" Alyssa asked, holding up her folded index card. She already wrote her idea on it and was waiting to put it in the bag.

" _Yes_ ," Hope said, looking deliberately at Lizzie. "We're doing it."

"Fine," Lizzie huffed and turned away with her card.

Hope looked at Josie, raising her eyebrows in question.

Josie looked just as bewildered as she felt.

Hope didn't really care what they did, so she scrawled the first thing that came to mind. It was boring and might even convince the girls not to bother going out if that was the option.

Josie and Hope tossed their cards in the bag then waited for Lizzie to finish with hers.

"Lizzie?" Josie asked when her twin stared down at the card too long.

"Okay, okay," Lizzie said. She wrote on her card, folded it, and tossed it in the bag. "There!"

"Great," Josie said, closing the bag and shaking it. "Now, let's see what we're doing in March!"

"Why do you get to pick it?" Lizzie asked.

"Because it was my idea," Josie replied, more than a little annoyed at Lizzie at this point. After this she didn't care what her sister said, she was going back to bed.

"And we're…" Josie pulled out the card and raised an eyebrow as she read, "going to Busch Gardens and Water Country USA? What kind of girls' night out is _that_?"

Lizzie shrugged and Hope frowned.

To Hope, that sounded like an all day _and_ night event… that would last more than one day. It could potentially take up an entire weekend. She wasn't doing that unless Ryan came with them.

"I was actually hoping for that for _April_ ," Alyssa said, haughtily avoiding looking at them. "You know, for spring break."

"You _can't_ be serious," Lizzie scoffed. "It's one thing to spend a couple hours a month with you. But _spring break_? Absolutely not. I've had enough of _other_ people ruining my spring breaks."

"I thought you didn't blame me for that anymore?" Hope asked, puzzled.

"I don't," Lizzie said then glared pointedly at Josie. "I blame the person who was _really_ responsible."

"I said I was sorry for that," Josie defended.

"Actually no," Hope said, turning to glance at Josie. "You never actually did apologize."

"She sure didn't," Lizzie said. "Not to you and not to me."

"I'm sorry," Josie said softly, feeling ashamed once again.

"Too little, too late, don't you think?" Lizzie said.

"Okay!" Josie exclaimed. "Obviously this is gang-up-on-Josie night. I think I'll go back to bed."

"It's my birthday," Alyssa interrupted, still not looking at them.

"What is?" Hope asked.

"The week of spring break," Alyssa replied.

"But…" Lizzie thought back. "Don't you always stay on campus on spring break?"

"I do," Alyssa said. "Don't really have anywhere to go." Not when she accidentally killed her parents with magic when she was eight years old. She wasn't completely destitute because the school had helped make the fire that destroyed her home look like an accidental gas leak so the insurance money—from the house _and_ her parents' deaths—had been put into an account for her. She used that to do something special on her birthday every year, but with no one around to spend it with her…

Hope felt terrible. Even if Alyssa had any friends, most of them wouldn't be around to help her celebrate during spring break.

"Lizzie…" Hope began, "I think we should—"

" _Absolutely_ , we'll do that on spring break," Lizzie said, sitting up suddenly. Her expression changed completely. She smiled widely. "I'll talk to Dad about making the travel plans immediately! I wonder if he's still awake?"

"Wait 'til morning, please," Josie insisted, raising her eyebrow again at Lizzie's sudden mood change.

"You're absolutely right," Lizzie said, nearly bouncing in her seat now. "So, what about March?"

"I'll pick since you picked April's," Hope said to Josie, grabbing the bag, ready to get this over with. "And for March we will be…." She read the card and groaned, closing her eyes. "Karaoke bar."

" _Yesss_ ," Josie said.

"A _bar_?" Lizzie said.

"Trust," Hope said, leaning toward Lizzie. "I will _not_ be drinking this time."

"You might want to for that one," Alyssa said, wrinkling her nose.

"Only you, sister of mine," Lizzie reached out and pulled Josie against her, hugging her tightly.

"Okay..." Josie said, looking at Hope, bewildered again.

" _Now_ can we go back to sleep?" Hope asked.

"Sure!" Lizzie said, releasing Josie. "Make sure you put that bag away and _don't_ peek, Hope. We'll need it for May and June."

"Yes, ma'am," Hope grabbed it and tucked it away in her desk.

"Oh, and Hope…" Lizzie said sweetly.

"Yes…" Hope didn't like that look. She knew that look.

"Remember when I said you and Clarke _so_ owed me?"

"Uh huh…" That was because she invited Alyssa along to girls' night. She wasn't going to like this, was she?

"Well, I finally messaged Jack," she said.

"Good for you!" Hope smiled, though she was still confused by what that had to do with her and Ryan.

"Yeah…" Lizzie smiled demurely. "So, you and Clarke are doubling with us for dinner on Sunday night." No way was she meeting a strange guy she met at a club all alone, not on the first date.

"Wait, what?"

"Goodnight, Hope!" Lizzie grinned and quickly left the room.

"Uh," Josie said, feeling resigned. Of course Lizzie wouldn't think to double with her and Jade first. And, apparently a triple was out. But she wasn't going to let it upset her. She was just going to spend time with Jade…and maybe Wendy? Feeling better, remembering that hiding Wendy was hindering Clarke, she pushed the resentment away.

"Goodnight!" Josie said to Hope, forcing a smile.

"Goodnight…"

Hope crawled back in bed, grumbling.

"Thank God they finally left," Alyssa mumbled, pulling her face mask back over her eyes and lying down.

Hope didn't bother replying to that, but she didn't feel quite the same amount of animosity for her roommate that she usually did. She always thought Alyssa was just a bitch, a bully who wanted what everyone else had and was intent on destroying it if she couldn't have it. She never took the time to get to know her… Of course, Hope had never taken the time to get to know most people.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad… being friends with Alyssa.

Maybe.

* * *

"Thanks for this," Hope said as she climbed into Ethan's truck.

"No problem," he said with a smile and put the vehicle in drive.

"Lucky for me, you had to go into town tonight," she said. Though, she would've just gotten a Lyft otherwise, but she didn't mind spending time with one of her favorite cousins.

"Yes," Ethan nodded. "Family dinner…of which you _kind_ of should be a part of."

"It's Seylah's dinner, Ethan," she said. "I'm not part of her family."

"But you're part of mine," he shrugged. "I get it. Next time maybe Mom'll host. Then you can come."

"Maybe…" she murmured, though she knew it wasn't going to happen.

"Going into town early means I get to see Mom and Maya for a while before dinner, so you actually did _me_ a favor needing to be dropped off at Ryan's," he said.

"You don't get to see them as much anymore, even being so close, huh?" she asked, grateful for the change in topic.

"Nope," he shook his head. "Maya keeps me updated for the most part. Or she just sends memes."

"Hey, so, I heard there's some trouble with the wolves?" Hope asked. "About Raf? Do you know anything about that?"

Ethan took a deep breath and released it. "Yeah…"

"Is it just talk, or does someone want to challenge him for alpha?" she asked.

"The wolves don't think anyone should have to challenge him…" he said. "That he's not really a wolf anymore."

"Do you agree with that?" she asked.

"No," he shook his head. "I think he should be challenged."

"…does that mean you think he's not fit to be alpha?" she looked at him.

"Depends how he fights when he's challenged," he said.

" _When_ he's challenged?" she noted his word usage. "But if the other wolves don't think he even needs to be challenged… Ethan…" She realized he never answered her original question. "Someone wants to challenge him."

"Yep,' he nodded.

She lay her head back against her seat, sighing, "It's you, isn't it?"

"Yep," he nodded again.

 _Great_ , she thought. How was she supposed to reconcile this? She told Landon she would talk to the wolves if Raf still wanted to be alpha, but she hadn't heard anything from him since.

"You haven't trained that long," she said.

"My stick work needs some help," Ethan said. "But my hand-to-hand isn't bad. Unless it's with you, but I won't be fighting you."

"You're so new to being a wolf though… are you sure you want this responsibility?" she asked.

"Look, I've learned a lot since becoming a wolf," he said. "I also know that you're either alpha material or you aren't. It doesn't matter how long you've been changing."

"Do you even change anymore?" she asked.

"Every full moon," he nodded. "I may not _have_ to, but the rest of the pack does. I'm not leaving them alone in that just because I'm a Crescent."

"Labonair," she corrected.

"Same thing," he said.

"What I mean is, you can't change at will just because you're a Crescent," she shook her head. "Only wolves who witnessed my mother's wedding gained the power to change at will. You definitely weren't there for that. I've been trying to figure out why you can. The only reason I could come up with is you're being a Labonair. The ceremony must've worked differently for those of our bloodline."

"Well, alright… then, I'm not leaving the pack to change alone just because I'm a Labonair," he corrected.

Caring about the wolves was definitely a step in the right direction. She couldn't help but wonder if Rafael had ever actually cared about any of them. She certainly never saw him spending time with them. Ethan, on the other hand…

"You don't think I should do it? That I can win?" he asked.

"I…" She really didn't have any say in any of it. She made her choice long ago when she kept herself separated from the other factions and declared herself the head of her own. Agreeing to help Rafael wasn't for any other reason than her guilt over Raf being in his present predicament because of her.

"I think you should," she finally said. "If you want it, if you understand what it means, what you have to do. If you put the pack first."

"Glad to have your vote of confidence," he smiled slightly.

"It makes sense actually," she said. "Didn't you say the Mayor's internship was your dream job? You're kind of into that stuff, aren't you?"

"Hope, at my old school I was student council president," he boasted slyly.

She laughed, "I guess being alpha is right up your alley then."

"Pretty much."

"What does Jed think about all of this?" she asked.

"Now _that_ ," he said, frowning slightly, thinking of the friend who had become more and more distant with him lately, "I don't know."

* * *

"Nothing to raise suspicion since Monday."

"Nothing?" Clarke asked, listening through his Bluetooth headset as he put the dish in the oven.

"Either the girl's more clever than we gave her credit for, or she hasn't made contact yet and the vampire was just late to class."

He didn't believe that for a minute, but then they didn't know what he knew about the target. Wendy Von Brandt had spent ten years in a prison world bored out of her mind and making mince meat out of her friends for fun. Why Alaric thought releasing _that_ on the world was a good idea was beyond him. Clarke understood Jade, but not Wendy. She had become Clarke's mess to clean up and he had a client who wasn't happy with their lack of progress.

Fortunately, business was booming otherwise from both the government _and_ private sectors, but he was still annoyed. They usually had no problem containing most supernaturals but trying to track down one witch was proving to be a problem.

But, if there was one thing he knew about being imprisoned, when released most sought out the familiar. Wendy may have left for the west coast, but Jade would be her first stop now that she was in trouble. The witch didn't know enough about the world to survive on her own, not yet. Too many things had changed over the past ten years.

Jade was predictable for the most part. While they couldn't observe her at the Salvatore school, they could see her comings and goings. And he had agents in place at the public school too. Jade had never once been late for class, not until that past Monday. Even more disconcerting was that none of his agents knew _where_ the vampire had gone during that missing time.

The witch was in town.

He walked into the living room, tossed a discarded blanket and pillow from the sofa to the recliner and sat, "She's in town."

"How should we proceed?"

"Keep observing the friend—and the friend's friends too," he said.

"The girlfriend and the wolf."

"Don't forget the fairy," he said. He didn't think Jade would be stupid enough to involve any of them though. Jed had given up his former bullying ways to help save the world—he had read his file. And Wade, well…

"The fairy never leaves campus."

" _If_ he does," he said, but that kid didn't get involved with things that made him uncomfortable.

Josie would usually definitely help Jade, but one of Wendy's least favorite people was Alaric Saltzman. With the damage the witch could do, it was doubtful the twin would help knowing that an off-the-rails Wendy could mean her father dying in a burst of flames.

Still…

"The girlfriend," he said. "Make her a top priority too."

"Yes, sir."

And it wouldn't hurt to keep track of everyone arriving and leaving. That was the only way for Triad to keep tabs on that sector.

"Make a list of everyone who goes into the Salvatore school and leaves."

As he turned off the device, he thought, not for the first time, that having a witch, vampire, or wolf to go undercover would've made this a million times easier.

Instead, he would have to call Saltzman and give him a head's up.

Hearing the key in the front door lock, he grinned and immediately put that thought on the back burner.

"Honey, I'm home!" Hope laughed when she saw him.

"What, no 'baby'?" he teased her with a smirk.

"You are _never_ going to let me live that down, are you?" she said, coming over and plopping down next to him.

"Not tonight anyway," he looked around the room. "Nice mess."

"I'll take care of it," she said. "It's just a few pillows. No biggie."

"Uh huh," he said, raising an eyebrow. "And the kitchen?"

"I didn't have time before we had to leave," she said, pulling her legs up and turning toward him. "We were in a rush to get to yoga without getting caught."

"Which I'm glad you didn't," he said.

"Are you gonna stop complaining about the mess and kiss me, or…?" she teased, indicating that she could just get up instead.

He had been planning to do just that anyway.

Reaching for her, she immediately fell into his arms and giggled when he turned her so she ended up sitting sideways across his lap.

Before kissing her, he trailed his fingers down her cheek, tracing her smile, making her smile even wider.

"We have…" he looked at the clock, "twenty minutes til dinner is ready."

"I can work with that," she murmured, eyes focused on his mouth.

"Me too," he whispered as he pulled her close and finally kissed her.

Twenty minutes later found Hope lying flat on her back on the couch with Ryan lying on top of her resting between her thighs—both still fully clothed.

His mouth had barely left hers to come up for air. She definitely didn't mind. He knew what she liked, and his tongue rubbing against hers at the moment was driving her insane with need.

An insistent buzzing finally broke through their pleasure filled haze.

"What's that?" she pulled back to moan out before his mouth covered hers again.

"Dinner," he mumbled against her lips.

She groaned, knowing he needed to get up so it didn't burn.

He didn't seem to mind as he made no move to stop.

She nearly lost herself in him again, but remembered when she heard another beep.

"Ryan," she grasped his head and pulled him back slightly. "You gotta get that."

Groaning, he dropped his head against her chest for a moment, "We can let it burn."

"Then what would you have for dinner?" she asked.

"You," he said.

Laughing, she pushed at his shoulders, "Get up."

"Fine," he climbed off her and got up.

"You set up for dinner and I'll just lie here," she said with a smirk.

"Don't forget the pillows," he mentioned on his way to the kitchen.

"Right," she groaned and sat up, looking around. There weren't just pillows. There were blankets and whatever else the girls had snooped through and not put back when they were done. It wouldn't really take long, except she should probably wash all the sheets and cases before putting them back in the linen closet. She would do that tomorrow.

At least she didn't have to clean the bathroom! That was the one place she made sure was clean before they left. After spending half the night on the floor losing everything she consumed, she wasn't about to leave _anything_ gross as a reminder the following week. Lizzie had _graciously_ handed her the mop while holding her nose the entire time.

She stood and got to work.

"I assume the state of the apartment means the real world agreed with you?" he asked as he pulled the dish out of the oven.

"It didn't agree with my stomach, if you must know," she said.

"Curious," he said.

"What is?"

"It's not like you to lose control," he said.

"I was trying something new," she excused.

"Wish I'd be here to see that," he said.

"Too bad!" she laughed.

"Next time."

"I'm not doing _that_ again," she said.

She finished clearing everything up, "Good as new."

He finished setting the table, and then looked around, frowning slightly.

"Aren't you supposed to study this weekend?" he asked, realizing she didn't walk through the door with any textbooks.

"And I will," she said, coming in to sit at the table. "Tomorrow."

"Won't you need the books tomorrow then?"

"I'll bring them over tomorrow."

"Aren't you staying the night?"

She shook her head, "Not tonight. _Tomorrow_."

"But wasn't the deal for whenever?"

"Yeah, but I still have yoga every Saturday morning," she said. "I'd rather sneak into school during the day instead of first thing in the morning when it's obvious I wasn't there all night."

"It's not a required class, right?" he said. "Just drop it."

"I can't," she said. "It's for Lizzie."

"Right," he shook his head. He had to admit. He had gotten his hopes up. But there was always Saturday. In the meantime…

"Have you noticed anything different with Josie?" he asked, sitting down across from her.

"Josie?" she asked, surprised because he never asked about her. "Not really, except she and Jade may be on the rocks since Josie blew her off for girls' night."

His team didn't mention anything about that. In fact, according to them, they were closer than ever.

"I _have_ noticed some stuff with Lizzie," she said, frowning with worry. "It was kind of out of the blue too. She was fine all week, then _boom_. Suddenly she was really irritable and her mood swing nearly gave me whiplash."

"Aren't irritability and mood swings par for the course for her?" he asked.

"I guess? But she isn't usually _that_ irritable," she said.

"The darkness in the bond is supposed to drive some to insanity," he said. "But she isn't bipolar because of it."

"Then maybe I shouldn't be worried about the bond, just about the disorder," she said. "You can decide for yourself on Sunday."

"Why…"

"Oh, didn't I mention," she said nonchalantly, "Lizzie met a guy at the club last week. She's having dinner with him Sunday night. We're going with them."

"Guess its good I don't fly out til Monday morning," he smirked.

"Guess so," she grinned.

* * *

"Can you pass the pepper?"

Rafael had to smile to himself as Landon reached for Chad's latest request.

For some reason, Chad decided he _had_ to sit next to Landon at dinner—then proceeded to annoy Landon to no end by asking him to pass everything.

Though Rafael was invited to the 'family' dinner, he still wasn't sure if he was considered family to everyone.

"There is some news," Seylah said, nodding at Chad.

"This should be good," Maya said with a teasing smile.

"Seylah thinks I'm ready to train at the academy," Chad said.

"So you'll _finally_ be a real deputy?" Maya asked.

"I thought he already was a real deputy?" Rafael asked.

"I am!" Chad insisted, aghast that someone would say any different.

Mac hid a private smile, "Close enough." She bent the rules on the traditional role, but she never put him in any danger.

"Can you pass the rolls?" Chad asked.

Landon sat his own fork down slowly and deliberately, trying not to show his annoyance as he picked up the basket _right in front of them_ to hold out to him.

"How is school, boys?" Seylah asked.

"Okay," Ethan said around a bite of food.

"There was a full moon this week," Mac said. "Everything go okay with that?"

"Yeah," Ethan nodded.

"You too, Rafael?" Seylah asked.

"That was the only night I didn't have to change," Rafael said. "You didn't have to either, right?" he asked Ethan.

Ethan shrugged, "I always turn with the other wolves."

"Why?" Maya asked. "I mean, you don't have to."

"Just because I don't have to doesn't mean I shouldn't," Ethan replied. "They're my pack."

Rafael looked down at his plate. There were reasons he couldn't turn with them, but Ethan was right. He should've been there. Maybe he would break the sire bond by the next full moon.

"Oh my God," Maya said suddenly, mouth dropping open.

"What?" Ethan asked.

"Is there garlic in this?" Maya said, pointing at her plate and staring at Rafael in horror.

"Ha ha," Ethan said, "Very funny. You know better."

"Spoil my fun," Maya laughed, poking her brother.

Rafael shook his head, amused.

"And you, Maya?" Seylah asked. "The internship?"

Mac looked up at that too. She hadn't heard much from Maya about it. She mostly got an annoyed, " _Mom!_ " whenever she asked.

"Oh that," Maya looked down and moved her mashed potatoes around. "I'm not sure I'll keep doing that."

"Why not?" Ethan asked. "It's a _dream_ job."

"Plus, working with the Mayor is kinda cool, right?" Chad interjected.

"It's _your_ dream job," Maya said to Ethan. "And Mayor Donovan is alright," she answered Chad. "But… it wasn't what I expected."

"How so?" Mac asked.

"I figured I'd be filing paperwork and answering phones," she shrugged. "It's not like that."

She didn't want to get into it. Caroline said she referred her to the job so she could get the human perspective of vampires from one of her human friends. But Maya was pretty sure they created the internship just for her. Turned out, being a human who knew of the existence of supernaturals made her the perfect person to turn into a narc. Keep an eye on things at the school in case there was trouble. She didn't like it. And she was kind of confused. If Caroline wanted her to like vampires, why send her to Mayor Donovan who wasn't their biggest fan.

" _The same vampire who killed and turned my sister, killed my best friend. Being a part of this world has cost me a lot. As a human, knowing the truth, you need to be prepared. They could turn on you in an instant. Funny thing is, you knowing the truth means you're valuable. You can help keep an eye on things that the rest of us can't. The local high school for instance."_

She was glad for Caroline's help, or she would be weird around Raf, but she didn't like the idea of being a narc. And seeing as how the majority of the vampires in Mystic Falls all stayed at the same boarding school, she didn't think there really _was_ a problem to keep an eye out for. But, if she got paid to report nothing _while_ working at the Grill, she didn't see any problem with the extra money.

"What's it like?" Mac asked.

Maya shook her head, "Just boring."

Searching for a new topic, her eyes landed on Landon across the table.

"What about you, cuz?" she asked. "You've been pretty quiet."

"Nothing new to report," Landon said, hoping dinner would be over soon. "Just helping Raf."

"Reach any new horizons?" Maya joked, referring to his flying.

"No," Landon said.

"Has the school turned up anything else about your abilities?" Mac asked.

"Yeah," Maya said. "I mean, isn't that the point of the school? To teach you how to be you?"

"I do fine with being me," Landon said with a forced smile. "Regeneration and flying are enough."

"But what if you could, like, produce fire all over?" Chad asked. "Not just in the wings. You could be the Human Torch! Or, volcano! You could spew lava and not even know it, and, like, years from now you could be talking and the lava just starts pouring out and you had no idea it would happen because the school never taught you that."

Everyone stared at Chad.

"What?" Chad asked. "It could happen."

"In that case," Landon muttered pointedly, "I'll be sure to keep my mouth shut."

"I'll speak with Alaric," Seylah said. "There must be a way to learn of your abilities."

"Why not just have Mom ask him?" Maya asked with a sly look at her mother.

"Maya," Mac said in warning.

"How _was_ dessert last week?" Maya said suggestively.

"Gross," Ethan made a face. "Stop. Please."

"I'd much rather know if _you're_ interested in anyone, missy," Mac said then looked at the rest of the kids. "And what about the rest of you?"

They all looked around and shrugged.

"No love interests at all, huh?" Mac said. "Now that's a first."

Rafael refrained from glancing at Landon. Raf had an interest alright, it just wasn't one he should have. No use mentioning her.

"It's getting pretty late," Landon observed. "I think Raf and I should get going so we're not walking back too late."

"Nonsense," Mac said. "What are you boys going to walk for? Ethan can drive you."

Ethan looked up like a deer in headlights. He normally wouldn't have a problem with that, except he already promised a ride to someone else…

"Um…" Ethan cleared his throat.

"Ethan," Mac said with a pointed confused look.

"Yeah, that's fine…" Ethan said. "I just have to make one stop first."

"Thanks," Landon said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He was really hoping he could just leave _now_.

"Can you pass the peas?" Chad asked.

Resisting the urge to dump the bowl over his head, Landon reached for the latest request.

_Why couldn't Ethan have said 'no'?_

"Landon," Seylah said, "There's a music event in town square tomorrow evening. Described as indie, I believe that is your favorite, no?"

"It is," he nodded stiffly.

"Perhaps you can join me?" she asked. "I wish to learn more of this indie music."

"Uh," that sounded like the last thing he wanted to do. "I'll let you know."

Rafael felt uncomfortable for the both of them. He knew Landon was resistant to spending time with Seylah, but he also knew Seylah would like to make some kind of connection with her son. In a bid to cover up the awkwardness, he turned the conversation back to Ethan.

"What stop?" he asked.

"I promised to give a friend a ride home too," Ethan said, grabbing for another roll himself.

"Can you pass the butter?" Ethan asked Landon from his other side.

When Landon gave him a look as if to say _'really,_ ' Ethan shrugged apologetically. He couldn't reach the butter as it was in front of Chad—one of the many things he had asked Landon to pass.

"Oh, right," Mac nodded. "Hope."

Rafael and Landon both looked up quickly at her name.

"The stop is for Hope?" Landon asked.

"Yeah," Ethan said, shoving a piece of buttered bread in his mouth without looking at them. He knew it would be a problem, but his mother insisted. Landon—and even Rafael—were family now, so giving them a ride shouldn't be a problem. He just hoped his _other_ family wouldn't mind too much.

"Yeah, well," Rafael put his napkin on the table. "That means I really _do_ have to walk. I'm not allowed to be around her."

"Its fine," Seylah said firmly. "A short car ride."

"But—" Rafael tried to explain even though he thought they already understood.

"Hope's a big girl," Mac said. "And we all know you'd never hurt her."

He couldn't argue with that. He would rather die than ever do anything to harm her. Of course, he wouldn't be able to sit in the truck as long as she did, but he figured he could climb into the back of the pickup until they reached the school.

"I miss Hope," Chad said. "And Lizzie. Do you guys see them much?" He posed the question for everyone but looked at Landon when he asked.

"Uh, no," Landon replied, wondering—once again—why Chad kept insisting on talking to _him_.

"Maybe we should invite them for dinner next time?" Chad asked hopefully.

Maya nearly snorted when she laughed, "Maybe after you make it through the academy."

"Now that'll be cause for celebration," Mac said.

"Yes," Seylah said with her Mona Lisa smile, "a graduation party."

"Looks like we'll have a lot of those this year," Mac said, nodding around at the boys.

"Only if I can learn to control myself," Rafael said. Landon and Ethan were doing well in their studies and they knew enough about their powers that they were well on their way to graduating on time.

"You will," Seylah nodded firmly.

That was the thing about Seylah. She said a lot without saying much at all. From the first moment Rafael met her, he knew she approved of him as a person and accepted him as Landon's best friend. Since Malivore's defeat and Landon's insistence that Rafael be included in all family events as his brother, Seylah had only grown to accept him even more. So much so, that those couple words of encouragement meant a great deal to him. It meant she believed in him.

Hopefully Landon figured out sooner, rather than later, to accept his mother.

"I'm always down to party," Chad said.

"I couldn't agree more," Maya said with a wink.

* * *

"Are you on your second or third sketchbook?" Hope asked.

"Third," Clarke said into her hair, holding her from behind as she leaned against him and looked over the canvas in front of her.

"And I still can't read it yet?" Hope asked. She reached out and traced her paintbrush down the outer edge of the portrait.

"One day I'll read it to you," he promised.

"How many years have you covered so far?"

"At least the first hundred," he said.

"Three books per hundred years?" she asked. "You're gonna need a bigger bookshelf."

He shrugged.

"I think this is almost done, _finally_ ," she leaned back against him again to take in the entire canvas. Getting grounded for a month meant she couldn't work on the piece she planned to hang in their living room.

"Yep, it's a mountain lion," he said matter-of-factly.

"Stop," she said, putting the paintbrush down and wrapping her arms around his. "You know why it's important to me." The one she made in Wyoming was on the wall in her dorm room. She wanted one here too.

"Because you used magic to heal one once, yeah," he said.

"And because it makes me think of my mom," she said.

"Your mother was a hybrid," he pointed out.

"My mother taught me the value of life," she said. "All life. Healing that mountain lion after I had been forced to kill so many creatures reminded me not to lose sight of that…"

"I still think of the Pixie Queen sometimes," she continued. "I wish I had found some way to save her… You _did_ release Jack O Lantern, right?"

She attempted to glance over her shoulder at him.

"Who?" he asked.

"Ryan!" she turned around in his arms.

"Yes, I know who you're talking about," he said, "And yes, I released him." Though he would never tell her it didn't matter if he had or not. The creature was completely lost without his queen. Clarke was pretty sure he wouldn't be happy ever again.

"Good," she said. "Thank you."

She felt the vibration of her phone and grumbled, "Darn it."

"What?"

"Ethan said he'd message me before he left so I'd be ready when he got here," she said, reading the message on her phone.

**Leaving now. Landon & Raf are with me.**

_Why hadn't she just taken a Lyft?_ she grumbled to herself as she typed out her reply.

**Park down by the gas station.**

The gas station was about ten blocks away, but she didn't want the guys to know more than they needed to, especially not where their apartment was. Rafael attacked Ryan before. She wasn't letting him anywhere _near_ him. And she certainly wasn't going to let Raf know where to find Ryan either.

"He'll be here in fifteen minutes," she said.

"In that case," he said, walking closer to her. "We should start our goodbye now."

"Good because I need something to tide me over til tomorrow," she grinned.

He wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around _his_ waist and kissed him while he found a clear spot against the wall to press her against.

She moaned into his mouth and clutched at his shoulders.

Fifteen minutes _definitely_ wasn't long enough, but she would take what she could get.

* * *

Ethan pulled to a stop and put the truck in park.

He quickly messaged Hope to let her know he arrived, but knew it would take a bit for her to get there. He understood her reasoning and he didn't mind waiting. He only felt bad that he had to put her in that position.

"I'm gonna wait over there so she can find me," Ethan said as he opened the door and jumped down. "Be right back."

Rafael sighed as Ethan's door closed and he reached for his own door in the backseat where he sat next to Landon, "Guess I'll get in the back now."

"Raf, don't," Landon shook his head. "Just wait until she gets here. I know her. She'll tell you its okay."

Rafael let go of the door handle. A part of him was actually excited by the possibility. He hadn't been able to lay eyes on her since the dance. He was on the verge of hunting down a photo of her just to remember that smile more clearly—not like he would ever forget.

The last time he spoke with her hadn't been that pleasant. She sympathized with him, and he could tell she felt badly for everything he was going through. But he could also tell she wasn't happy with him. She was worried about what he was capable of. He didn't blame her. He attacked Clarke and nearly killed Lizzie in the process.

That night she let him know she didn't blame him or hold it against him, that she just wanted him to get better. Then she apologized for making him go against his free will right before she commanded him to never hurt Clarke again, never hurt or kill anyone—unless it was self defense—and, lastly, to never come near her again until the sire bond was broken.

Thankfully she left immediately after that or he would've probably torn the cell apart trying to get out of the room and away from her.

He wished she had told him to stop thinking about her too. It was torture, feeling her when she was close by and never being able to see her. The side effect, of course, meant he forced himself to change even more. If he could just break the sire bond, he would get to see her again.

But maybe he would get the chance tonight…

"Okay, I'll wait," he said, sitting back. He didn't feel her yet, so he could relax for the moment.

"Good, don't leave me to an awkward car ride," Landon said. "Dinner was _more_ than enough."

Rafael laughed.

"I just don't get Chad," Landon shook his head.

"You can't always choose your family?" Rafael offered.

"I can though," Landon insisted. "I _have_. _You're_ my family. And yeah, okay, the rest of them I didn't get to pick, but still, he's not blood."

"Seylah picked Chad," Rafael said.

"I didn't."

"She didn't pick me either," Rafael pointed out. "But she accepted me."

"That's different…" Landon trailed off though because he knew Rafael was right.

"You know it's the same thing," Raf said. "Just admit it and accept it."

"Fine," Landon said. "Chad's the son she got to pick. I'll just keep being the one she was forced to have."

"That's not the way she sees it at all, and you know it," Rafael said.

"Do I?" he asked in disbelief.

"Look, man," Raf turned to Landon, "You found your _mom_. And she _wants_ to know you. Some of us aren't that lucky."

Landon looked down, feeling even more awful. If only things had gone differently when he first went to meet Seylah, back when he had been so hopeful. Back when he was optimistic.

"At least she's making an effort," Rafael continued. "You should go to that music thing. You know you would've already been planning to go if you knew about it. Just go with her. She might even surprise you."

Landon sighed. Raf was right. Of course, _Seylah_ wasn't the problem with that one. _Hope_ was. That was the first place he danced with her, the first time he had connected with someone he _really_ liked. It had been almost like their first date. It brought back a lot of memories… But if he really wanted things to ever change with Seylah, he should probably try.

"I'll think about it," Landon hedged.

Rafael looked away suddenly. He felt her.

"I think I gotta go," he put his hand on the door handle again.

"Wait," Landon said, opening his own door. "I'll call out to her. Just keep your eyes closed or something."

"It doesn't work that way," Rafael said but he closed his eyes anyway.

Landon slid out of the back and kept the door open. He motioned to Ethan who had looked over when he heard the door open.

Ethan nodded. He knew what he was asking.

"Hey!" Hope called out, running up to meet him. She pushed a stray hair out of her face. "Got here as fast as I could."

"Raf's in the back seat," Ethan nodded to the vehicle. "If you don't say anything, he's gonna try to spend the ride in the back of the truck."

"Right," she grimaced.

"Sorry about this," he said.

"It's okay," she said. "Just a quick ride back to school, right?"

"That's the plan."

Hope looked across and nodded at Landon, who opened his door all the way.

"Raf, its okay!" she called out. "You can be near me for the ride!"

"Was that enough?" Landon asked, looking at his friend.

Rafael relaxed completely again, removing his hand from the door handle and breathing much easier, "Yeah."

"We're good!" Landon called back.

Hope nodded and followed Ethan slowly back to the truck. She couldn't help but think this was pretty ridiculous. At least things hadn't gone too far with Ryan that night. Considering Raf completely wolfed out on Ryan the last time, she didn't want to be the cause of more of _that_.

She sighed and climbed into the passenger seat next to Ethan.

"Hi, guys," she said softly, glancing back quickly.

"Hi, Hope," Rafael answered, knowing he was staring at her. He couldn't help it. If possible, she was even more beautiful than he remembered.

"Hey," Landon said.

Ethan shook his head and put the truck in gear. It was going to be the longest ride back to school.

The tension could be cut with a knife for the first several minutes.

Ethan wagered no one knew what to say. He almost asked Hope about her evening, but then he remembered she spent it with Ryan and that was a sore topic for the other guys.

Rafael didn't want to waste the opportunity to talk to Hope for the first time in weeks, but he struggled to think of something— _anything_ —until he finally settled on something he had been struggling with all week.

"Hope," Raf said to get her attention. "Landon said you'd talk to the wolves?..."

Hope braced herself. That was pretty much the last subject she wanted to discuss, especially now that she knew Ethan's plans.

"What about?" Ethan asked.

"I said I'd talk to them if you decided you still wanted it," Hope said. "Does that mean you do?"

"Want what?" Ethan asked.

"Alpha," Landon said. "I'm sure you know what's going on. You _are_ a wolf."

Ethan glanced at Hope and saw her wincing apologetically at him.

"Well, do you?" Ethan asked.

"Yes," Rafael answered even though he was still uncertain. He would rather talk to Hope about it, get her opinion, but in his bid to talk to her he forgot that Ethan was there and was one of the wolves in question.

"That's too bad," Ethan said.

"Ethan," Hope said quietly, trying to convey to him that now wasn't the time.

"So you agree with the wolves?" Landon asked.

"Well, yeah," Ethan said with some amusement, finding it funny that anyone would disagree.

" _That's_ too bad," Rafael replied. "Because I _am_ alpha."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Ethan said.

"The wolves should let _me_ know if they have a problem," Rafael said.

"And yet they haven't," Ethan said. "Is it because they're afraid of you or because they just don't know you? You've been alpha for, what, over a year now? Do you even know anything about your pack?"

"You've been at the school for, what, three months now?" Rafael asked. "What do _you_ know?"

"You'd be surprised," Ethan said.

"So, are you one of the ones who think being a hybrid makes me different from a wolf?" Rafael asked. "That I should just step down and let a _real_ wolf take over?"

"No, I'm not," Ethan said. "I think you should be challenged."

"No one has the stones to do that," Rafael smirked.

"Didn't I mention you'd be surprised?" Ethan asked.

"Who, then?" Rafael asked.

"Someone who actually cares, who puts the pack first, who the pack can count on to be there for them every day—not just when it's convenient for them," Ethan said.

"It's not as if I don't care!" Rafael argued. "I've got to break the sire bond."

"Right," Ethan nodded. "And who knows when that will happen."

"I'll fight anyone who challenges me and I'll win," Rafael declared.

Hope looked down, straightening her shirt, waiting for the rest of this conversation to play out. It was definitely needed. She couldn't disagree with Ethan. She had witnessed her mother as alpha. There was a reason they loved and respected her. Ethan may be new, but he knew what was right.

"Then I guess you'll be fighting tomorrow," Ethan said.

"Ethan…" Landon finally connected the dots. "You're really going to…"

"Because I'm challenging you," Ethan glanced over his shoulder.

Rafael stared at him, a million emotions warring inside. His wolf was raging that anyone would dare to challenge his authority, his place in his pack. But the sane part of him was struggling to maintain control. This wasn't the hybrid, this was the wolf. And he knew how to control the wolf.

"Why not pull over and do it right now?" Rafael suggested despite his tenuous grasp on control.

Ethan shook his head, "In front of the pack. There won't be any question who alpha is when it's over."

"Whoa, Ethan, wait," Landon leaned forward. "Let's talk about this."

"I just did," Ethan said.

"Uh, Hope?" Landon asked. "Don't you have something to say?"

"Not really," she shrugged. "I'm not part of the pack. I shouldn't have a say."

 _Great_ , Landon thought. _Now_ she chooses to go back on her word. Why wasn't he surprised? "But you said…"

"I said I'd _talk_ to the wolves," Hope turned around as best she could in her seat. "I did. I talked to Ethan. And the wolves have the right to challenge the current alpha."

"Does that mean you agree with them?" Rafael asked her. Her words would carry more weight than anyone else's.

"It means I can't be a part of this," Hope said, making eye contact with him for the first time. "It's up to the pack."

"Technically, I can't fight him," Rafael said. He was commanded not to hurt anyone. It wasn't possible to fight Ethan without her say-so.

Hope sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this, Ethan?"

"You know it."

"Raf, you can fight Ethan," she said. "But you can't kill him."

"I wouldn't," Rafael denied, and maybe even a little offended.

Hope didn't bother replying to that. She wasn't taking any chances.

Ethan and Rafael would fight tomorrow for the prize of being named alpha over the school pack.

Thankfully, she wouldn't be there to witness it.


	8. Is That A Challenge?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _I own nothing but my own words._  
>    
> credit: [@hopeforhopan_](https://instagram.com/hopeforhopan_?igshid=5nwljukhxolu)

Hope looked at her pile of books and wrinkled her nose.

Yes, she still had two more classes to make up, but she didn't really want to work on them while she was with Ryan.

But, he insisted. Plus, it was almost March, so she didn't have that much time left.

Muttering to herself, she shoved her math and literature books into her bag. Those classes were the least fun because there was nothing magical about them. But, there was a curriculum that needed to be upheld by all accredited schools.

She laughed to herself wondering if Ryan ever had the pleasure of learning complicated math formulas. With any luck, he would give it a hard pass so they could focus on other things like how long they could make out before they _had_ to come up for air. There had to be _some_ science behind it. And that would definitely make learning fun.

Next, she tossed a change of clothes in the bag and headed to her closet.

"What're you doing?" Alyssa asked, leaving the bathroom in her jogging gear.

"Packing," Hope said, pushing hanger after hanger, needing an outfit for dinner the next night. "I'm staying at Ryan's tonight, by the way."

"Huh," Alyssa said, walking to her side of the room to pull on her sneakers.

"As per our deal…" Hope looked over at her pointedly.

"Mums the word," Alyssa said.

Hope nodded, still a little wary but also a bit more confident since they had future plans now. No way would Alyssa be a part of that if she screwed Hope over.

Pulling a simple floral dress with a v-neckline out, she deemed it appropriate enough for meeting Lizzie's beau.

As she packed it and other accessories into her bag, she regarded Alyssa silently.

If she really wanted to give Alyssa a chance at being friends, then maybe she could try that morning…

"Mind if I join you?" Hope asked.

She could tell Alyssa's immediate reaction was a resounding, _No_. But the school's mega bitch must be trying to turn over a new leaf because she caught herself.

"Suit yourself," Alyssa shrugged.

Hope turned back to her dresser to pull out something comfortable to jog in. She had some time to kill before yoga anyway.

* * *

"No Lizzie yet?" Hope asked, joining Josie on the mat next to the brunette's.

"She'll be here…eventually," Josie murmured, side-eyeing Hope. Lizzie was being difficult that morning, and she wanted to tell Hope about it but… had Hope really just arrived _with_ Alyssa?

Alyssa chose the mat in front of Hope, bending down to stretch.

Seeing her, Hope began her own stretches.

"You guys walk together?" Josie asked.

"Hmm?" Hope glanced up from stretching her legs. "Oh. Yeah. Went jogging this morning too."

"If you could call it that," Alyssa said over her shoulder.

"She wasn't exactly cheerful about it," Hope said out the corner of her mouth, amused. Alyssa preferred _silent_ morning jogs, so whenever Hope attempted to talk, Alyssa would _run_ faster. Hope wasn't a distance runner so talking quickly became a non-issue in her bid to catch up. Thankfully, once she stopped trying to talk, Alyssa slowed down to a jog again.

Josie nodded and resumed her own stretches in preparation for class.

 _Huh,_ Josie thought. Jogging with Alyssa _would_ be a good reason to go off campus without raising suspicion if she needed to.

Things with Wendy hadn't gone as planned.

While the witch wanted help and had _no_ problem using the list of safe houses Josie gave her, she wasn't too keen on staying in the basement of the school. It was too much like prison, because it technically _was_ a prison.

And trying to glamour Wendy to stay at the school in some capacity didn't make sense to the renegade witch either since neither Josie nor Jade actually attended classes there.

She had to admit, Wendy had a point. She was just going along with Jade's plan, but there were way too many holes.

So, instead of them sneaking Wendy on campus yesterday, they had gone out on a 'date' as a cover to get a burner phone to her so they could contact her whenever they needed to, and vice versa.

Josie was amused at the irony. Lizzie and Hope had told her a lot from when Hope and Clarke were on the run. Using Clarke's own tips for avoiding Triad to avoid him now? Masterful.

Wendy couldn't go shopping or show her face anywhere in Mystic Falls without chancing a camera or any number of Triad members spotting her. It was up to two thirds of 'The Js' to get her everything she needed. They just had to be extra careful in case they were under surveillance.

If Josie joined Alyssa on her morning jog, she could find out the path the other witch took and set up a drop off point. It would mean waking up super early until they could figure out exactly how to help Wendy disappear for good, but she didn't mind.

"Sounds like fun," Josie said. "Maybe I should join you sometime too, Alyssa."

Alyssa's shoulders stiffened, but she bit out an annoyed, " _Fine_."

The instructor had already begun directing them when Lizzie finally arrived.

She stalked to the mat on the other side of Hope but stood with her arms crossed, glaring at Josie.

"Mom? You sent _Mom_?" Lizzie huffed.

Josie shushed her, glancing around hoping they weren't disturbing the rest of the class.

"You wouldn't get out of bed," Josie whispered, stretching her arms over her head.

"So?" Lizzie said. "Maybe I wanted to sleep in for once. Ever think of _that_."

"I'm glad you're here," Hope whispered, following the movements of the rest of the class.

"I'm not," Alyssa said over her shoulder from her graceful position. "You really could've done with more beauty sleep."

"See?" Lizzie said. "Even Alyssa thinks you should've just _left me alone_."

Josie shook her head, changing positions with the rest of the class. There was no way she was going to agree with that. Lizzie _loved_ yoga. She thought it was a brilliant idea when their mother decided to offer it. Lizzie looked forward to yoga every week. There was only one reason Lizzie would choose to remain in bed instead of going.

She was depressed.

Josie wouldn't allow Lizzie to sink into the depths of her own mind and push away the things that made her happy. She may not know personally what her twin was experiencing, but she wasn't going to sit around and do nothing… except, she didn't know what to do so she got Mom.

"What did Mom say?" Josie asked.

"That if I went to yoga, I could sleep in tomorrow," Lizzie said. "So, don't even _try_ to wake me up."

Josie nodded. _Smart_. Mom made a deal with her knowing if Lizzie did her morning yoga exercises, it might help her out of her funk. Exercise _did_ produce endorphins. She was taking 'Health' as an elective at Mystic Falls High since they didn't offer things like 'History of Witchcraft'.

"Well, _I_ , for one, am looking forward to dinner with Jack tomorrow night," Hope said, trying to lighten the mood, but she was getting even more worried about Lizzie. "So is Ryan, I'm sure."

"Oh," Lizzie said, glancing away. "Right. That."

Josie nodded at Hope. Reminding Lizzie of her plans was a good thing too. Hopefully she didn't decide to cancel them tomorrow.

The most worrisome part of all though… Josie was pretty sure Lizzie _was_ taking her medication.

So, what was going on?

* * *

"If I promise there won't be any extra bodies, will you let me drive you into town again?"

Hope smiled and shook her head, "It's alright, Ethan. I already ordered a Lyft. And I know last night wasn't your fault. It was just one of those things."

"Cancel it," Ethan insisted. "I really need to get away before the fight…and talk to you."

"Okay," Hope had to agree. She knew the fight wouldn't be an easy one, especially not for him.

"I should probably be… I don't now, pummeling a sand bag to prepare, but…" he shrugged.

"Keep it fresh for the fight," Hope said, putting her phone away after she canceled in the app. "Ready to go then?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

After climbing in to his truck, she asked, "So, what's up?"

"Am I crazy?" he asked, starting the truck and driving off. "Do I really have a chance at winning?"

"Where's all the confidence from yesterday?" she asked.

"Oh, it's there," he said. "Hiding behind this mountain of self doubt that sprang up over night. I should've just fought him last night."

"No, you were right," she said. "It's better to do it in front of the pack. They need to see you win."

"I got that idea from you," he said.

" _Me_?" she asked. "I'm not an alpha."

"You're basically the alpha of a god," he said.

"You mean Fenrir?" she said. "How did that…?"

"Remember all Crescents had that dream before Thanksgiving," he said. "I _am_ a Crescent. I just didn't understand until I heard about it later."

"So, since Fenrir made sure the pack saw my fight, you thought it best the school pack see _you_ win," she nodded. "I get it."

"I just didn't think I'd get so restless waiting for it," he said. "And then there's the part where Raf is half vampire and I'm not."

"I fought Fenrir as a wolf only," she said. "No magic, no vampire power. And I won. I nearly died though. At least you won't have to worry about that." With her order, Rafael wasn't allowed to kill Ethan. That sire bond finally worked in _her_ favor for once.

"Yeah, thanks for that," he said. "Got any tips?"

"Never lose focus," she said. "We're known for our temper, being unable to control ourselves when the rage gets the best of us. Remember what you're fighting for and why it's important to you."

"Right," he nodded.

"Also remember that just because he's a hybrid doesn't mean he's more powerful than you," she said pointedly. "You're a _Crescent_ , a Labonair. You have all the enhanced powers of a hybrid; you're just not part vampire."

"Do you really think I can win?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I do."

"Wish you could be there," he said.

"Nah, you don't need me," she said. "You just need your pack."

"Thanks, Hope," he said.

"That's what family is for," she said.

He sighed, "Speaking of family…"

"Don't think about it," she said. "I know he's part of your new family unit, but this isn't about that. This is about what's good for the pack. When you win, he'll adjust and move on."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Family is supposed to be always and forever," she said. "If he's really part of your family, nothing will change that."

"I hope you're right."

"Believe me," she said. "When it comes to Rafael, I can almost guarantee family is more important than pack." He already proved that time and time again by putting Landon before them. It didn't make him a bad person; it just meant he wasn't really cut out for alpha status.

Ethan came to a stop out front of the apartment.

"Do you need a ride later?" he asked.

"No," she said firmly.

"I promise, just me," he said.

"Lizzie's picking me up," she said. Of course, she wasn't picking her up until _tomorrow_ , but Ethan didn't need to know that.

"Okay, then…"

"Good luck, Ethan," she smiled warmly. "You'll do great!"

"Yeah…"

* * *

He was still asleep.

Hope stood in the open bedroom door, smiling fondly at Ryan sprawled out under the covers in the middle of the bed on his stomach.

Knowing him—and she _did_ quite well—he was naked under those sheets. Apparently those weeks on the road with her, he only wore clothes because she probably would have maimed him otherwise. That was just one of the many things that changed once they took their relationship to the next level.

She knew they were in no way conventional. She knew most people would assume they were going too fast. But she couldn't care less. When it came to the way she felt, she just knew. He was the one for her. Most would probably question the way they met, and how they were enemies long before they became lovers. But, she read a quote once that she thought described them perfectly.

_The idea of showing someone the worst parts of yourself first and still having them fall in love with you spoke volumes of the depth of feelings shared._

She had seen the worst of Ryan. She knew exactly what he was capable of. And she still loved him. She knew he was trying to change—to learn what it meant to really be human. He was trying to care about the world, especially since it was pretty much his mom. But he was also trying to be a better person, and she wanted that for him because he wanted it for himself. But no one was perfect and everyone made mistakes. Even if he found himself struggling with the darkness again, she would still love him through it all.

As for her, well, it had taken her a while to be sunshine and rainbows with him. He got the full brunt of the worst parts of her personality first: her temper, her stubbornness, her disdain for him. And yet, he had seen past all that and fallen in love with her. Even more amazing? He did it while not even fully understanding love at all.

She knew he still hadn't seen the very worst of her, mostly because she hadn't seen it yet either. But one day that darkness would present itself—perhaps even worse than his own—and she didn't doubt for a second that he would stand by her the entire time.

Walking to her side of the bed, she pulled up the covers slightly and grinned. She was right—naked as per usual.

Kicking off her shoes, she slid under the covers, cuddled up against him, placed her hand on his back, and rested her head against his shoulder.

She kissed his skin, felt him stir beneath her, and decided to trace her fingers lazily, enjoying his warmth, happy to just be with him.

"Hey," he murmured, barely opening his eyes.

"Hi," she whispered, kissing his back again and continuing her finger movement.

"What're you drawing?" he asked.

"A portrait of us," she said with a smile. She wasn't drawing anything, just content to be touching him, but now that he mentioned it… she traced out the letters I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U and kissed him a few more times.

"Did you see her?" she asked, knowing he usually used sleep to meet with his mother.

"No," he mumbled. "Only dreaming of you."

He shifted, and tried to look back at her.

She moved to his side again, resting next to him and moving her hand from his back to his face.

"Though, nothing better than the real thing," he said, his eyes meeting hers with a soft smirk.

"Oh, I know," she smirked back then met her lips to his.

He reached up to her face, needing to touch her too while their lips danced softly, pressing more and more firmly with each caress. He shifted to his side, turning over, and fell onto his back all the while kissing her.

She moved her hand across his chest now, tracing circles over his skin and through the patch of hair that covered him.

"You're wearing too many clothes," he said against her mouth.

"That's because I came to study," she murmured back, but sank deeper into the kiss after that, enjoying his mouth too much to be distracted for long.

He moaned and reached for her, wanting to rectify the clothing problem.

She grasped his hand to stop him. Pulling back, she shook her head.

"This morning is just about you," she kissed him again. "I went for a jog, did yoga, even gave out fight tips already."

She traced her tongue across his bottom lip, loving the way his eyes darkened even more. Their mouths met again as she went back to tracing her fingers across his chest and down to his stomach.

She murmured, "I'm very much awake, but you need a little assistance, so…"

He barely heard her as he focused on her hand's downward descent.

She kept kissing him but traced her hand down his stomach to his cock, taking him in hand and gripping him firmly, loving the smooth velvet feel of him.

His kisses dissolved into open mouth moans, wanting to pull her against him but she was in complete control, moving her hand over him. He held back since she insisted she wanted to pleasure him alone. He heard that part through the haze, so he focused on enjoying her ministrations knowing he would _definitely_ be returning the favor later.

He nearly protested when she pulled her mouth away from his completely, but then she slid under the covers with a devilish smirk that had his pulse jumping. When her mouth joined her hand, he acknowledged that she had succeeded in her endeavor.

He was _very_ much awake.

* * *

Talking with Hope had done a lot to alleviate the tension Ethan was feeling.

He could do this. He _had_ to do this. He _wanted_ to do this.

He felt like he was born to do this. He knew that sounded a bit crazy because he was so new to everything and school only lasted a bit longer. But the fact remained, the Salvatore school was supposed to prepare supernaturals for life outside of school. Becoming and being alpha, it would definitely prepare him for the real world. Not that he had any idea where he belonged in the supernatural world after graduation, but he had figured things out thus far. He would figure out that part too.

And he had super friends to help him along the way.

There was only one more thing he wanted to do before the fight, and it was definitely long overdue.

Talk to Jed.

Jed was always busy lately with his other school, and Ethan barely got to see him even though they lived at the same place. As alpha before Rafael took over, Ethan owed it to his friend to tell him his intention. He didn't know if Jed would give him his blessing, but Jed _would_ be a member of his pack if he won.

 _When_ he won.

"Jed!" Ethan called out when he saw him in the hall talking to Josie.

"Hey, man," Jed nodded.

"You got a minute?" Ethan asked, smiling apologetically at Josie. "I wanted to talk to you."

"About the alpha fight?" Jed asked.

"Yeah…" Ethan said.

"It's cool, man, I mean, you issued the challenge already, so what's there to talk about?" Jed said, shrugging.

Ethan didn't like the sound of that… He glanced at Josie who was looking away uncomfortably. "I just…wanted to… check in before the fight."

"Like, I said, it's cool," Jed shrugged again. "Best of luck."

Jed looked down the hall, like he was late for something—or just wanted to get away.

"Look, I gotta go," Jed excused. "I'll see you later, Jos," he nodded at her. "Later, E," he barely nodded at Ethan before he took off.

Ethan watched him go, knowing he was missing something but having no idea what. He was also disappointed.

"You know," Ethan murmured to Josie, "I figured things would change when I came here, but I thought it would be for the better. And they did…except with Jed."

Josie shrugged, "He's been acting different for a while, so I don't think it has anything to do with the alpha fight."

"What is it then?" Ethan asked.

"Well, when you win the fight, I guess your first order of business is to suss it out," Josie said with a smile.

Ethan nodded. He couldn't disagree.

He returned her smile, "One thing I _do_ miss is when the five of us hung out together. We should do that again. It'll be even better since we all know our superpowers now."

"Something tells me Maya might not be too down for that…" Josie hedged. Maya may be polite, but she had broken up with Jade for a reason. Plus, Josie had spent most of their hang outs pining for Jade while keeping Ethan at a distance. She had no desire to repeat that ever again.

"She's much better around vampires now," he said. "Raf is practically our cousin, and she has no problem with him."

"Raf isn't a vampire though," Josie disagreed, but honestly his words just made her even more resistant. She already lost her boyfriend to his ex, she wouldn't let history repeat itself with her girlfriend. At least with Jade, she knew Maya's rejection hurt her enough that she would never give her another chance—she hoped.

"I'm just saying," Ethan said. "I don't think she'd have a problem hanging out like old times."

"Just get through the fight first," she said instead of agreeing to something she had no intention of agreeing to.

"Yeah," he let out a breath. "Since you know about it, I don't suppose you'll come see me fight? Cheer me on?"

Josie laughed, "Who _doesn't_ know about the fight?"

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"E, _everyone_ is going to be there," she said. "Word travels fast at this school, and a fight at _any_ school can _not_ be missed. I'll be there. But so will the rest of the school."

"But it's a wolf thing…" he said. "Why…" He stopped talking because she was right. A fight for alpha would be that weekend's greatest entertainment. No one wanted to miss it and would be talking about it for weeks.

"I'm sure you'll do great," Josie insisted. "And _yes_ , I'll be cheering you on. The vamps, not so much."

"I imagine not," he said with a wince.

 _Why_ , oh why, hadn't he just fought Raf last night?

* * *

"You should go."

"What?" Landon shook his head. "No. I need to be here for you."

"Land, I appreciate that but as alpha I should stand on my own," Rafael said. "And as a phoenix with a mother who wants to bond with you, _you_ should go meet her in town square."

"There'll be other times for bonding," Landon said. "This is too important."

Rafael disagreed. Nothing was permanent in this world, not even death apparently, but Seylah wasn't immortal and Landon needed her more than he realized. Rafael would very _much_ like to meet his mother and talk with her—if she were still alive—so he had to insist that Landon not miss the opportunity to do so with his own mother.

"That's too bad," Rafael said, "Since I already told her you were coming."

"Why would you do that?" Landon said, shaking his head. "I don't want to go."

"Actually, you do," Rafael said sheepishly. "Or, at least she thinks you do. I messaged her on your phone."

"So not cool," Landon frowned at him.

"So unless you want to break your mother's heart," Rafael said, "you're gonna go listen to some indie music with her."

"Raf, I need to be here," Landon said.

"No, you don't," Rafael said. "I've got this, Land. This is about the wolves, not you."

"…And since you only became alpha because of me, you don't want me around to remind the wolves of that," Landon finally put all the pieces together. "I get it." He sighed.

"So, just _go_ ," Rafael said. "Even if you don't say a word to Seylah, enjoy the music."

"Right," Landon shook his head. "So, I guess I'll…"

"I'll tell you how it went later," Rafael smiled at him.

"Good luck, buddy," Landon said, reaching out to him.

Rafael gripped him tight in a bro-hug. "Thanks, man."

The hybrid watched his brother leave and let out a deep breath.

He _had_ to win.

Life hadn't been easy for him lately and he needed something once everything he was going through was over…

Because once he broke the sire bond, he was certain he was going to lose Hope forever.

She hadn't forgotten to re-issue her command when they got back to the school last night. She didn't hesitate to tell him not to come near her again until the sire bond was broken.

As much as it bothered him staying away from her, he still had a connection to her as long as the bond stood. He still felt her when she was near. Once the bond was broken, he wouldn't have that. And he wouldn't have her friendship either.

He pushed away her attempts at friendship when she was with Landon; and, now that she was with Clarke, he could tell she was going to be the one to push away his attempts when this was all over. Attacking Clarke had ruined everything. She barely looked at him in the truck last night.

He felt like he lost a lot of himself in all of this too. _That's_ why he needed to be alpha. That was the one part of himself he hadn't lost, and he refused to let it happen.

The fight was set to start really soon. He would spend that time mentally and physically preparing. He was stronger than Ethan. He had been a wolf longer. He was going to win.

"Hey, Raf?" Jed said, knocking on the door Landon left open on the way out. "Got a minute?"

"Not really," Rafael said, in the middle of a leg stretch. He had to focus completely on the fight. Jed could wait.

"Oh, uh, okay," Jed said, looking around and shuffling awkwardly.

"Once the fight is over?" Rafael said, switching legs.

Jed nodded but barely looked at him.

"How is it out there?" Raf indicated the direction of the field.

"Crowded already," Jed said.

"Great," Raf said with very little enthusiasm.

"Lot of wolves…and a lot of vamps," Jed said. "The vamps are all rootin' for you."

Raf stood up, "What about the wolves…?"

Jed sighed, "Not many, no."

The hybrid nodded, "You're probably hoping he wins too."

"No," Jed shook his head.

"Yeah?" Rafael said, surprised. "Thanks."

"Not gonna lie…" Jed said. "I think I'm the only one."

Rafael nodded stiffly.

"I'm gonna, uh, go," Jed said, eyes downcast.

"See you after," Rafael said.

"Yeah…" Jed left, angry at the entire situation. He knew Ethan would make the better alpha, but he _really_ wanted to talk to his _current_ alpha. He put it off too long, making excuses to himself, knowing he should talk to his alpha because he would help him. If Ethan won though…it would be too late. It was Rafael or it was no one. He should've known Rafael wouldn't make time for him though. There was a reason the wolves had turned against him.

Rafael turned away and braced a fist against a wall.

None of the other wolves were there to support him. He had been their alpha for nearly a year now, and he didn't have anyone to blame but himself for it.

It made him angry at himself for not taking it serious enough when he should have, but it only renewed his determination to win. He would win and then he would prove that he _could_ be a great alpha.

The fact that the vampires would be there to support him made him hate an audience even more. Just like with Landon, the wolves didn't need to see others who weren't wolves support him more than his own pack. The vampires probably saw him being a hybrid as another win for _them_.

"Uh, Raf?" Wade said from the doorway.

He really should close that door.

"What's up?" Rafael asked.

"Just letting you know I'm here to support you," Wade said. "Do you need anything?"

Rafael had a sinking feeling. Phoenix, vampire, fairy: he had the support of everyone but the ones he most wanted. _It didn't matter_. He would win, and then he would win back the support of the pack.

"Not really, but could you close the door?" he asked.

"Sure thing," Wade nodded. "See you out there. And good luck."

"Thanks…"

* * *

Clarke was using his tablet to read summaries and character studies for one of the books in Hope's Literature class. It figured the only two classes she had left to catch up on had nothing to do with magic at all.

Since he couldn't help her with modern day mathematics—what Triad agent ever needed to use Calculus anyway?—she was sitting against the couch end with her legs sprawled across his lap, her textbook and notebook in hers. She was working diligently, intent to get through the next chapter as quickly as possible.

After his wake up call, he was surprised they managed to get out of bed at all. But he _had_ insisted she bring the books, and catching up with the classes _were_ important to her.

So, he was currently stuck reading about **Jane Eyre** without reading the actual novel. She had started it but only got a few chapters in. He would've preferred to help her with the _other_ novel she had to read. **The Basic Kafka** was much more his taste and fit perfectly at the Salvatore School. Being alive when most classic literature was written, he had read a lot of it, but he had never been all that interested in the romances. Given **Jane Eyre** 's nod toward the supernatural though, it was also fitting for her school.

As he clicked on a link for the next character analysis, an alert came across his notifications indicting the latest field report for Operation: Von Brandt. He insisted all reports about Wendy be sent to him as soon as they posted.

Grateful for a reprieve, he reviewed it quickly, not expecting anything to stand out, but reading the list of arrivals to the Salvatore school the evening before gave him pause.

_22:07 - 2025 Chevrolet Silverado, brown - Ethan Machado, Hope Mikaelson, Rafael Waithe, Landon Kirby._

He glanced up at her but looked back down before she noticed.

Hope didn't have to tell him everything. He knew that, and _she_ knew that…but she knew he had a problem with Rafael being around her. That's why she gave him the command to stay away from her in the first place. The hybrid was dangerous and had tried to kill him. Who's to say he wouldn't lose control and hurt her? Her even being at the school when Rafael was there worried him. So why didn't she tell him about last night?

He took a deep breath. _Stop_ , he told himself. She _didn't_ have to tell him everything. And, yes, she was a tribrid and could protect herself…but she wasn't invincible, and if she died… He shook his head. He well knew the potential consequences of her activating her vampire side.

He wished she had told him because now that he knew, he wanted her to know that he knew but he didn't know how to come right out and say it without sounding like he was accusing her of something.

"Remember that case I told you about?" he asked instead. "The possible fire monster who didn't sound like a monster?"

"Yeah?" she said, looking up.

"It's a witch," he said. "It's Wendy Von Brandt."

"You mean, _Wendy_? Prison world, Wendy?" she sat up straighter.

"We think she made contact with Jade this week," he said. "I've had people keeping an eye on her."

"You _think_ , but you're not sure?" she asked.

"I'm sure, but no visible confirmation has been made," he said.

"I can keep an eye out for her too?" she offered.

"It's Triad's problem. We'll handle it," he said. She had to focus on her classes. She didn't work for Triad _yet_. Besides, he had already alerted the school's headmaster to the situation…for all the good that would do them.

"Okay, but if I see her I'll let you know," she said with a smile.

"Since I know contact's been made, we're keeping a closer eye on Jade and all of her friends," he said.

"You mean like Josie?" she asked.

"And Jed and Wade," he said. "Also, since we can't get on school grounds, we're keeping track of everyone arriving and leaving the school."

"You don't really think Josie _or_ Jed or _Wade_ would help a criminal?" she asked, frowning.

"They would if they don't know she's a criminal," he said, wondering if she would figure out what he was trying to tell her or would he have to spell it out? At least she would understand why he knew though. He _wasn't_ keeping tabs on her.

"So we'll let them know," she said. "Just talk to Doctor Saltzman. He can call an assembly so everyone can keep an eye out."

He shook his head, "That would only spook her. I knew she'd come here. She'll run if she knows we tipped everyone off."

"So that's why you want to keep track of everyone coming onto school grounds, in case she tries to sneak in…" she trailed off suddenly.

Sighing, she put her pencil in between her books, closed them, and tossed them on the coffee table before leaning forward.

"Ethan's Mom made him drive Landon and Raf back to school last night," she said. "That's why you're telling me about this. You want to know why I was with them."

"No," he shook his head. "I want you to know that I know."

"It bothers you though," she said. "That I didn't mention it."

"No," he shook his head again.

"Then it bothers you that I was near him," she concluded.

"He's dangerous," he said.

"Ethan couldn't say no," she said. "I would've just taken a Lyft but he was already on his way. I used the sire bond to let Raf near me for _one_ car ride and when we got to school, I told him not to come near me again. End of story."

"I don't need an explanation," he said.

"Well, you got one anyway," she said. "I know Rafael is a problem, but I can handle him when I have to. It was just one car ride. I didn't think it was a big deal."

"It's not…" he said.

"Could've fooled me," she sat back, wondering why she suddenly felt like she had done something wrong. It was a stupid situation that was over and done with. It wasn't like she and Rafael were alone in the truck. She barely even spoke to him. Ryan was making her feel defensive and she didn't like it.

"So you got a Lyft here today?" he asked, trying to change the subject and failing.

"No, Ethan drove me," she said. "But don't worry. I made sure there wasn't a hybrid stowed away." Her stubborn sarcasm seeped through.

"Hope."

He sighed. She was annoyed with him. This was exactly what he was trying to avoid by telling her the full story.

"And Lizzie's taking me home tomorrow after dinner," she continued.

"I'll send a driver for you from now on," he said, thinking that was the best way to avoid any trouble in the future.

"Okay, Ryan? I need you to stop," she said, sitting forward again and holding her hand up. "You can't micromanage me. That's not who we are."

"I'm not—" He wasn't trying to control her. He would never do that. "Look, getting a ride is a problem," he tried to explain, feeling a little bewildered. "Let me help."

"I can handle it, okay?" she said as gently as possible, trying to reel in her annoyance. He looked so confused and she realized she may have overreacted. He was worried about her and after his own interaction with Raf, she knew he had every right to be. That pesky temper of hers had slipped out. _Werewolf gene, ugh._

"Okay," he agreed without arguing further. He wasn't sure how their conversation got so out of control. Maybe he shouldn't have let her know that he knew, he did keep some things from her but those were necessary to protect her. This was different.

Once she got a hold on her temper and pushed it away, she realized what the real problem was. She should have told him. She tried to tell him everything. She should have told him last night before she even left, but they were having a great evening and she didn't want anything to ruin it.

"I'm sorry," she said, feeling badly. "I should've told you."

He shook his head again, "You're right, it was just a ride."

"I _should've_ told you," she said again. "I promise from now on full disclosure in all things Raf."

He nodded, feeling a great deal of relief at her words.

She stared at him for a minute. It had been a _long_ time since they had an exchange like that, in fact the last time was probably before they got together.

"Wow," she said. "I think that was our first fight."

He raised an eyebrow, "It was more of a disagreement…and we've fought before."

"I mean, since we became us," she said.

"It still wasn't a fight," he said.

"That's too bad," she said, studying him with interest.

He laughed, "I can't say I agree with that."

"I've heard the best part of fighting is making up," she said, grinning ruefully now.

"Want to make up with me then?" he smirked.

"I don't know…" she said, pulling her legs in and sitting up next to him. "I mean if we _were_ fighting, there'd have to be _some_ aggression, right?"

"Show me," he said, grateful that their argument seemed to have passed.

"Like this?" she asked as she reached her hand around the back of his head and yanked on the curls, pulling his head back sharply.

"Hair pulling," he said, staring up at her. "Yeah, I can see how that's aggressive."

"Well, and we do _already_ have our own personal form of aggression," she said suggestively.

"What might that be?"

Letting go of his hair, she snaked her hand around until it found his throat and she gripped him firmly but a bit more gently than she ever had before.

His breathing hitched.

He couldn't resist doing the same as he brought his own hand up to wrap around her throat, but he made sure not to grip her too hard either.

"Oh yeah," he nearly croaked out, his voice revealing exactly how turned on he suddenly was, "I remember this quite well."

They stared at each other for a moment, remembering how things had changed since the last time they were in this position. Then they let go at the same time to both work hurriedly on their own pants.

He unbuttoned his and pushed at them a bit frantically, shifting to slide them down only as far as he needed to.

She pulled her bottoms off completely and straddled him in record time.

Stroking and then holding himself in position for her, he groaned as she slid down and completely took him inside of her, her knees resting on either side of his thighs.

They grasped at each other's throats again, still not gripping too hard, but she used it to hold onto him as she began moving her hips.

Gasping, her gaze went from his eyes, down to his throat, and back up again, increasing her movements.

He put his other hand at her hip, needing to hold her and guide her as he pushed up with each of her downward movements, hissing out his desire.

At one point she leaned back slightly, still gripping him but moving so he stroked her inside at a different angle. They both breathed heavily, moaning and gasping, riding the waves of pleasure for as long as they could.

She increased the rhythm as she got closer to her peak.

When she finally came, she jerked forward, involuntarily gripping his throat tighter as she lost herself in sheer bliss.

The clenching of her inner walls, and her hand, had him exploding hotly and gripping her more tightly as well.

When he started coming back to his senses, he let her go immediately, not wanting to hurt her.

She sank against him, burrowing her face into his neck, kissing him there softly even as she rocked gently against him, still enjoying the feeling of him inside of her.

"Make up with me anytime you want," he murmured, panting and clutching her to him. He buried his mouth into her shoulder, kissing her softly.

"How about we go to the bedroom and make up some more?" she said, her lips moving against his neck as she spoke.

As much as he wanted to…

"We can't," he breathed out. "You need to get this done."

"You _really_ want me to do homework right now?" she asked, amused as she was still wrapped in his arms.

"The way I see it, if you don't catch up, you don't graduate," he said.

"I'll catch up," she said.

"And if you don't graduate, that means another year at the Salvatore school," he went on anyway.

"I'll catch up," she repeated.

"I'm making sure you do," he replied. "Call our future make up sessions my incentive for resisting." Not that he _wanted_ to argue or fight with her, but he definitely hadn't been expecting that from her. Being with her on her journey of sexual discovery was definitely one of the highlights of loving her.

She drew back, still amused, and took the time to draw her finger across his bottom lip.

When he attempted to take her finger into his mouth, she teasingly drew her hand away.

"Math, it is," she declared with a laugh and a kiss before detangling her limbs from his and searching for her pants.

He worked at pulling his pants up while he watched her find hers and tug them on. Had he really just said 'no' to spending the afternoon in bed with her? Was he out of his mind?

She settled back on the couch and resumed working in her math textbook.

"I don't know when you'll ever use those formulas again in life," he said. He had survived eight hundred years without knowing any of it.

"College, remember?" she answered sweetly.

He decided to stretch out on the couch, resting his head next to her knees, looking up at her.

"And remember you don't have to go to college?" he pointed out.

"But I want to," she said, still working on the next problem. They had talked about this before. She knew he wanted her to be done with school, but that wasn't what she wanted. It didn't stop him from mentioning it every once in a while.

"Don't you want to help supernaturals?" he asked. "You can learn to do that better by working with me at Triad than at a human college. What would you even major in?"

"I don't really know yet, but college has always been like a rite of passage," she stopped working and looked up at him. "It's something I want to experience, though I figure I'll probably study plenty of different things in my life. I mean, think about it. Once I activate my vampire side, who knows how long I'll live, but it might be tons of life times just like you…

"I could have a different career in each of those lives," she continued. "I could major in occult studies or art or graphic design; I could do social work or just create _tons_ of art work and fake my own death to see if I could be one of those artists labeled as one of the greats only after death. I could be _legendary_." She giggled.

"I can be anything I want to be and not just choose one thing for the rest of my life. It's pretty exciting because I don't have to worry about making the wrong choice. If I don't like it, I can just start over again."

"Very astute of you," he said, thinking that she hadn't once mentioned Triad. Triad was his, yes, but he wanted it to be _theirs_ one day…

She winked.

"I hope the same can't be said of you for me," he said, one side of his mouth curling up the way she adored.

"Oh, definitely not," she denied immediately, smiling at him. "You're the one constant that I will always want. You'll _always_ be the right choice for me."

"Forever," he said, referring to the Mikaelson family motto.

"You know it," she said softly.

"So, I assume that means plenty of years of college in your—and my—future," he groaned inwardly at the thought.

"Well, we'll just start with the first four," she laughed. "Maybe another four in, oh say, seventy years?"

"I'm okay with that," he smirked, relieved.

She started back in on her notebook as he fell silent.

He should get back to reading about the tragic beginnings of young Jane Eyre, but he was still thinking on their conversation.

"I don't ever want you to die," he said softly, "but I know you have to so you can live forever with me."

"I know," she said, glancing at him again.

"Not anytime soon though," he said, mind going immediately to everything they didn't know about her being a tribrid and what that could mean for their future—their family's future.

"Yeah..." she agreed but looked back down at her book quickly. "Ok, back to math. Only five more chapters to go. I'm trying to get through two before tonight."

He groaned.

* * *

"Where's Josie?"

"I'm not talking to her right now," Lizzie grumbled.

"Huh," MG said before sitting next to Lizzie on the bleachers.

"Shouldn't you be sitting with your _coven_?" Lizzie said.

"Only witches have covens, Lizzie," MG said. "Though, _is_ there a special word for a group of vampires? I mean, wolves are a pack, fish are a school, crows are a murder, vampires could be..."

"A gang?" Alyssa said, sitting down behind them.

"Not really where I was going with that," MG said.

"Surprised to see you here," Lizzie said to MG. "Aren't you a pacifist?"

"True," MG said, "But I'm here to support my buddy Raf."

"You mean you're here to support the vampire side of the hybrid in control of the wolves," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes.

"If the vampires rule two thirds of the school, where's that leave the witches?" Alyssa asked.

"I'll tell you where," Lizzie said. " _Not_ in a good place. Clearly I'm here to support Ephram"

"You don't even know his name," MG laughed.

"So?" Lizzie shrugged.

"I believe," Josie said, joining them even though her sister was very deliberately trying to ignore her, "that a group of vampires is called a clan."

"Uh, I think I prefer gang," MG said, pointing at Alyssa.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Lizzie glared.

"Same thing as everyone else," Josie said, ignoring her real question and sitting next to Alyssa.

Lizzie turned away to face forward with a "Hmph!"

When she looked down at the field, she let out a breath, "Thank _God_ it looks like they're finally starting. I cannot suffer another minute of _some_ people's presence."

"And I thought _I'm_ bad when my beauty sleep is interrupted," Alyssa said

Josie looked heavenward. Lizzie was certainly making this grudge last all day.

"Next time let her have at _least_ another twenty minutes," Alyssa went on. "Those bags under her eyes aren't doing her any favors."

Lizzie resisted the urge to touch her face or run to the nearest mirror.

"And a hybrid has already _been_ in charge of the wolves for the past three months and nothing bad has befallen the witches," Josie pointed out.

"Right," Alyssa said. "So why are the vamps acting like _that_."

"Who _doesn't_ like a fight?" MG shrugged.

"You. And aren't you going to get in trouble with your _gang_ if you don't sit with the rest of them," Lizzie asked MG, determining to ignore the other two.

"Maybe flock would be better," MG wondered aloud.

"Spoken like a preacher's son," Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Flocks are birds. You're not a phoenix."

"That would be cool though, right?" MG grinned.

Lizzie was unamused.

"If they're starting, where's…" Josie said, looking around before she spotted him on the field. "Oh, there's Kaleb."

"What's he doing?" Alyssa asked.

"Whoever wins is part of the honor council," Josie said. "So the current heads are _supposed_ to be there to start the fight. Not really, but Kaleb likes to make up rules as he goes."

"Hope's not here though," MG said, looking around.

"She had better things to do," Lizzie snickered.

"Right…" MG said, wondering about that. Her cousin and her hybrid were both fighting, so why wasn't she there? Maybe she didn't want to choose sides. Of course, most students didn't know Hope had turned Rafael but since the only thing they knew about hybrids revolved around Hope's father, they figured Hope had something to do with it. The end result was the mystery surrounding Hope widened and put even more students in awe of her. MG was part of the chosen few who knew her secret, but only because he was part of that secret himself. It had taken nearly two months to wear off, but eventually the effects of her blood left his system.

"Tracy's not here either," Josie said, referring to the witch who took her seat on the council when she gave up her powers and transferred schools. "Kaleb decided only _he_ was really needed for this."

"Of course he did," Alyssa said, thinking about his overabundance of confidence and his sweet smile. It had been a while since she had seen that smile though. Not since she ruined everything by sleeping with Jed.

On the field, Kaleb was taking a minute to go over everything with Ethan and Rafael.

"Rules are simple," Kaleb said, looking back and forth between them. "No one can help you, no killing, and the first to yield loses. Or whoever gets knocked out first."

"Why are you doing this?" Ethan asked, looking around. The place was packed with spectators. He was pretty sure nearly every upper class student had come to watch. The audience, he understood, but why was a vampire initiating the fight?

"Winner's on the honor council," Kaleb said, clasping his hands together. "The council is here to represent."

"So, where's Hope then?" Rafael looked around but he couldn't feel her. He knew she wasn't there even though part of him had been hoping he could get a glimpse of her. "She's on the council." Which was also another incentive for him to win—he would get to see her at any council meeting once the bond was broken. He was open to any excuse to see her at this point.

"Don't know, man," Kaleb shrugged. "But only one of us is needed."

"She's not here," Ethan said. "I gave her a ride earlier."

Rafael looked at him. There was only one reason for Hope to go into town. The same reason she was there last night too. The thought of Clarke was lighting a match to the anger and rage that had already been building all morning.

"Figured she'd be here," Raf said, clenching himself against the rising ire.

"It's not her pack," Ethan returned.

"It's not your pack either," Rafael bit out. "And it's never going to be."

"Hey," Ethan stood up straighter, glaring. "I'm part of this pack whether I lead it or not. Though I _will_ be leading it. Even more, the wolves _want_ me to." He needed to point out that the wolves were there to support _him_. Hope said to remember what he was fighting for. The wolves, the pack—it was for them.

"You haven't won them _all_ over yet," Rafael glared back. "Jed had no problem showing up for me." When Ethan's supposed best friend gave him ammunition to get under his opponent's skin, he would take it.

That gave Ethan pause.

Jed had been with him from the beginning of this crazy supernatural journey. Jed had basically become his best friend, and, yeah, he knew Jed acted lukewarm that morning towards him but of all the wolves, Jed was the one he really thought he could count on to support him. There was no reason for Rafael to lie, so… Jed was against him.

And suddenly Ethan wasn't quite as calm and focused as Hope had coached him to be for the fight.

He growled at Rafael.

"Hold that thought," Kaleb said, turning away from them and bringing the bull horn to his mouth.

"Welcome to the Alpha Challenge!" Kaleb called out, gaining everyone's attention. "Ethan over here challenged Rafael for Alpha, and yeah, they're gonna fight."

Everyone started yelling and cheering.

"Rules are simple!" Kaleb hollered out over them. "No killing and no helping. So don't let me see y'all trying anything!" He gave everyone a look, letting them know he wasn't playing.

"First to yield or get knocked out loses," he repeated again for the benefit of the crowd.

He spun around, looking back and forth between the two wolves.

"May the best wolf win!" Kaleb exclaimed. "Fight!"

Rafael immediately growled and jumped at Ethan, hoping the quickness of the attack would catch Ethan off guard.

Ethan moved to the side at the last second and slammed a foot into the back of Rafael's thigh as he passed.

Rafael was moving too fast to stop when he missed the other wolf. He stumbled from the kick but turned around immediately with another growl.

"Thought Hope taught you better than that," Ethan said, glad he found control over his emotions again. Now he would keep trying to make Rafael lose control over his.

The hybrid didn't bother replying, just bared his teeth and came closer to start throwing punches since the surprise jump attack hadn't worked well.

"Ethan's not bad," Alyssa said, surprised, watching the wolves fight.

"Besides football, he did wrestling too," Josie supplied. "And he _has_ been training with Hope right along with Raf."

"As a sheriff's kid," MG said, leaning back into their conversation, "he's probably been learning self defense all his life."

"Well, he's gonna need it to beat Raf," Lizzie said, wincing when Rafael managed to connect his fist with Ethan's stomach. "He's got nothing on a hybrid."

"I wouldn't say that," MG said. "They look pretty evenly matched."

It was true. For all the strength and speed Rafael used, Ethan returned it. Both of them had taken some pretty hard hits and kicks from the other, but they kept going.

Ethan knew if he gave an inch at all, Rafael would finish him. While he was throwing everything he had into each punch and avoiding as many jabs as possible, it seemed like the hybrid wasn't wearing down at all. Ethan wasn't immortal and if he didn't find a way to get past Rafael's defenses, he was going to tire out long before Rafael ever would.

The only way to really get past a wolf's defenses was to make them lose control. And a surefire way to rile Rafael up was to mention Hope.

Realizing he had the same exact ammo to use against his opponent as he had used against him, he lost focus for a second and winced when Rafael's fist connected with his jaw.

He turned with the hit, but forced himself to stay standing and spun away around Raf, coming up behind him _finally_. He gripped him in a wrestler's hold, wondering if he had the strength to subdue the hybrid. He yanked back and nearly grinned when Rafael fell to the ground. Ethan shuffled around quickly, gripping his head at the neck and using his body to pin him.

"Yield!" Ethan yelled at his face.

Rafael struggled to get out of the choke hold, trying to kick at Ethan and clawing at his arm.

"Yield!" Ethan repeated, struggling to hold on. "Hope would want you to."

Her name had the initial effect Ethan was hoping for as Rafael paused, losing focus for the moment.

Rafael stared at Ethan's face, his words flashing through his mind again. If Hope would want him to yield then…Hope wanted Ethan to win.

"That's a lie!" Rafael ground out, beginning to struggle again.

"What?!" Ethan gritted out, slamming his body down against Rafael again as the hybrid's struggles had caused him to shift a bit. "Can't believe she'd support her family over _you_?"

Rafael felt a new surge of anger and used it in his legs as he brought his feet up and pushed down against the ground propelling his body over his head with enough force to make Ethan break the headlock so he could roll free.

He sprang to his feet a split second before Ethan did, but that was enough time for him to rush at the wolf again and catch him by surprise for once. His hand gripped Ethan's neck and he slammed him down against the ground, grinning when Ethan actually cried out in pain when his back and head smacked the field.

"You will _never_ be alpha!" Rafael growled. "Yield!"

Ethan rolled toward Rafael, using his body to knock him off balance so he would lose his grip. As soon as Rafael let go, Ethan scrambled back, standing quickly but putting some distance between the two of them.

He needed to regroup. He needed another plan, and he needed it fast. He nearly lost consciousness when he hit the ground. One more of those and he would lose.

He was losing his strength. He wasn't half vampire. Even without another giant hit, a small one could take him out.

He thought quickly as he started circling around Rafael.

"You had your chance," Ethan ground out, using the words to buy himself time. "You were a shit alpha, and everyone knows it. Except for you apparently."

"When I win, in front of _my_ pack, they'll know who the real alpha is," Rafael growled.

_In front of…_

Ethan thought back to his conversation with Hope that morning.

" _I fought Fenrir as a wolf only. No magic, no vampire power. And I won."_

Maybe that was what he needed to level the playing field a little.

"Why not make this a _real_ battle of wolves?" Ethan said, stepping back and removing his shirt. "Not like either of us needs a full moon."

Rafael agreed immediately, his wolf yearning to get out and attack the wolf that tried to take his place.

"I wonder if this is how Charlie Swan felt when Jacob started stripping," Lizzie said from her seat, watching both guys take off everything but their underwear.

"Not like it's anything you haven't seen before," Alyssa sniped. "Especially with Raf."

Lizzie glared back but when MG glanced at her, she immediately felt bad. She didn't know why, it wasn't like she had ever given MG any indication that she was interested in him, especially last year when everything had gone down between her and Rafael. But something about his eyes before he looked away again made her feel like the reminder hurt him.

She desperately wanted to say something to Alyssa, but she didn't want the other witch to keep talking about it. Not in front of MG.

"Oh my God," Josie said, leaning forward. "They're really going to change in front of everyone."

"Vamps!" Kaleb called out on the bullhorn. "Stay back!"

For the first time, Lizzie was worried. "Can they really control themselves if they do that? I mean, what's to keep them from coming after the vampires?"

Josie shook her head, "Being able to control their turns means they have access to both sides of their minds at the same time. The human part will keep the wolf in control. It's why Rafael's PTSD got better after he became a hybrid."

"Aren't you just the little expert on Rafael," Lizzie said haughtily.

Alyssa leaned forward and Lizzie immediately put her hand up readying to release a spell.

"Say another word and I'll burn your eyebrows off," Lizzie threatened. She knew that look on Alyssa's face. She was going to say something else about her and Raf. While Lizzie could take it, she didn't want to see that look in MG's eyes again.

"Dude, this is crazy though," MG watched the field, fascinated. "An alpha fight _while_ they're wolves? Is this the first time in history or something?"

"It might be…" Josie murmured, wincing as she watched them change. "I've seen Ethan change before, but…" She looked around, taking in the expressions on everyone's faces. The wolves were usually too busy changing themselves to witness the other wolves' transformations. The vampires did their best to stay away from wolves especially on the night of the full moon, so they definitely had never seen something like it before. The witches, most of them could barely watch.

Fortunately it was over quickly and all of them let out a collective sigh of relief as the wolves on the field prowled around each other, readying to pounce.

"Looks like Ephram isn't tired anymore," Lizzie observed.

"Ethan's smart," MG said. "It was his idea too."

"How could you possibly know that?" Lizzie said.

MG tapped his ear. "They've been egging each other on the entire fight. Ethan keeps using Hope to get to him."

"Of course he is," Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Ohh," Josie said leaning down. "You're right, Ethan's brilliant. Hope can't do magic in wolf form, remember? That means no magic at all besides the were powers. Raf can't use his vampire powers."

"Thank God," Lizzie sighed out. "Ephram might actually have a prayer of winning now."

"He's been holding his own," Josie said defensively.

"He best keep it that way," Lizzie said.

The wolves jumped at each other at the same time, their claws digging before they bounced back, both landing on their paws.

They circled each other again, waiting for an opening, each snapping forward at the other but not attacking yet.

Ethan decided to trick Rafael by faking a left strike, moving closer than the other times, waiting for the hybrid to move in that direction before shifting to the right and coming around to slam into the black wolf from the side.

Jumping on him, claws scratching, Raf landed hard but immediately struggled against the auburn wolf, twisting and slashing and growling.

Rafael ended up on his back with Ethan pressing a paw against his throat, applying as much pressure as he could while Raf struggled, snapping his teeth, trying to take a bite out of the leg holding him down.

Kicking out his back paws, Rafael dislodged Ethan, and he was back up, pouncing onto the other wolf. Ethan struggled against him before he saw an opportunity and took it, biting hard into Raf's right shoulder.

Rafael yelped out at the pain, then worked to get himself out of Ethan's jowls, but the wolf held on as long as he could, making it even more painful trying to tug himself away, the teeth ripping through with each of his movements.

 _Finally_ he got out of Ethan's bite, but he was losing blood quickly. He needed to hurt Ethan as much as he hurt him if he was going to win. He tried to circle Ethan again, as they had done earlier, wondering if he could fake out the other wolf like he had done to him. He tried a few times, but Ethan was on the lookout for that. Rafael even stumbled a couple of times, the injury to his forelimb as bad as it felt. He finally stopped trying to fake him out and just attacked, throwing his weight and strength at the other wolf.

Rafael slamming into Ethan pushed him back at first, but Ethan quickly pushed forward, head butting him in the underbelly, causing the other wolf to slam to the ground but he was up again in an instant.

Ethan slammed into him again, against the earlier shoulder injury, and Rafael reared back from the pain.

That was enough for Ethan to pounce on him once more, putting his claw against his throat yet again, growling down at him menacingly, his wolf communicating his command for the hybrid to yield.

Rafael didn't care how much pain he was in, he refused to yield. He kept struggling and freed himself from Ethan's grip once again, but as he tried to get away to regroup, Ethan attacked, jumping onto his back, digging his claw into the bite on his shoulder.

Black spots swam in front of Rafael's eyes. _No_.

He shook, trying to dislodge Ethan, doing everything he could. He could _not_ pass out. He had to win. _He had to_.

Ethan held on for all he was worth, digging his claws wherever he found purchase, causing every jerk from Rafael to inflict the hybrid even more pain.

When the black wolf paused, readying to roll over onto his back, the auburn wolf withdrew his claw from the bite injury long enough to slam it down against it again.

Even as Rafael was sliding sideways for the roll, the black spots came back and took over. The pain was too much, he couldn't escape it. He tried to hold off, but he couldn't.

Instead of rolling, he collapsed, and the darkness swept in, and then he knew nothing.

Feeling the fight go out of his opponent, Ethan moved off of Rafael and walked around the unconscious wolf, nudging him with his snout.

"Oh my God!" Josie jumped up.

"He did it!" Lizzie jumped up too.

The wolves in the stands were ecstatic, yelling, hollering, howling, and whistling their cheers.

"Damn," Kaleb shook his head. Then he shrugged and walked down to the field again, pulling up the bullhorn.

"We have a winner!" he exclaimed. "Ethan Machado is the pack's new alpha!"

Ethan looked at the crowd, relieved. But he was also worried about Raf.

"Someone get the man some clothes," Kaleb called out.

The wolves all jumped up and converged on the field.

Brock grabbed Ethan's clothes and brought them over.

A few wolves circled Ethan to give him privacy to turn back and dress, so he did quickly.

The wolves congratulated him, pounding his back, glad to call him alpha.

"Let's go celebrate!" Brock called out.

Ethan shook his head and turned back to Rafael.

He saw Jed next to Raf, carrying his former alpha's clothes, ready to be there when he woke up and turned back.

"Not yet," Ethan said, walking over and squatting next to Rafael across from Jed.

"But you won," someone else called out.

Ethan looked back.

"Yes, I'm alpha," he said. "And one of my pack is hurt. I'm not leaving until he wakes up."

Understanding dawned, and while some of them wanted to disagree, especially since a lot of them didn't agree that Rafael was a 'real' wolf anymore, the rest were finally experiencing what it meant to have an alpha who really did care.

An alpha who would be there for every single member of his pack, even the one that just tried to kick his ass.

Brock walked up and placed his hand on Ethan's shoulder.

"We'll wait with you."

Ethan nodded.

Jed looked down. Ethan really was the alpha the school pack needed. He couldn't deny it.

He just really wished he could have spoken with Rafael before he lost.

* * *

"This music is nice."

Landon nodded, shifting awkwardly.

He hadn't spent much time in Mystic Falls lately. He was too busy with school, Rafael, recovering from Malivore's possession, and getting over Hope.

Attending the small indie music festival in town square with his mother wasn't something he ever wanted to do, but he was there. And all he wanted to do was leave.

"Do you dance?" Seylah asked, nodding at the couples who were doing just that.

"Uh, no," Landon shook his head. He definitely wasn't going to dance with his mother. He danced with Hope at something like this before. He still remembered how she smiled and laughed with him. He had no idea what he was doing, but she didn't mind. She actually enjoyed spending time with him. They had made a connection that night, one that rekindled when they met again.

He missed that connection. He missed her. He missed the way she was an avenging angel badass to everyone else—and whenever they argued—but in other moments with him, she was sweet, loving, letting her guard down and just making his life so much better than it had ever been before.

Coming back here, he knew it was a bad idea. On the heels of all those memories was the stinging knowledge that she was that way with Clarke now. With his brother.

He wasn't sure he would ever understand what happened. She loved him, and he loved her. Despite their arguments and his trouble trusting her, he never questioned that for a minute. They could work through anything, or so he thought.

But instead, here he was, at an indie music festival with his mother while Hope was spending the weekend with Clarke, doing God only knows what.

He wasn't an idiot although many people, including Doctor Saltzman, obviously thought so. He figured it out—belatedly, of course, but he still did—that Rafael attacked Clarke because he smelled Hope on him. Not just in passing, but because Hope had recently slept with Clarke. One of the things Landon had been waiting for, hoping for, willing to give her as much time as she needed for, and she had given it to his brother.

It was just one more thing on top of the million others that hurt. His heart couldn't take much more, but he didn't know what else he could do.

His first major love and his first major breakup—he knew everyone had to go through them eventually, but he _really_ didn't want to lose Hope.

One day, maybe, he would get over losing her.

"Hi, guys!"

Landon groaned inwardly.

"Chad," Landon acknowledged him with a roll of the eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on duty," Chad grinned, "my last shift before classes start!"

"Okay?..." Landon grumbled. It still didn't explain why he was interrupting his time with Seylah.

"Just popping in to make sure no one's up to no good," Chad said, looking around.

"Right," Landon said. He glanced at Seylah. He thought this was one-on-one time for them.

"I'll see you later tonight, Chad," Seylah said pointedly. "You still have a few more hours on shift."

"Right, right," Chad agreed. "Bye, bro!" He clapped Landon on the back a little _too_ excitedly.

Landon looked at Seylah again as his "brother" left.

"Why are you even bothering with me?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Seylah asked.

"I mean, you've got _Chad_ ," he said. "Why make any effort with me?"

"One is not more important than the other," Seylah said, brows furrowing in contemplation. "Do you feel that I've replaced you for Chad?"

"Well, yes," he said. "You got to choose him. You didn't get to choose me."

Seylah glanced at him thoughtfully. "Is this why you've been so resistant to me?"

"One of the reasons," he said, looking back to the stage.

"I never wanted children, no," she said. "You were not in my plans, but neither was being disposed of by my employers."

"No kidding," he mumbled.

"I could not keep you, and I did not want to keep you," she said. "I will not lie to you."

"So why even bother now?" he asked. "Why not move back to Lawrence or start over somewhere else?"

"You confuse my wanting to know you with my wanting to be your mother," she said. "I will never be your mother. I don't know how to be."

Landon was confused, and his expression spelled that out clearly for her.

"You are still my family," she said. "You are still my son, and I will do what needs to be done to protect you when needed. But we are long past the days of my raising you. You are your own person. I wish to know that person. If you do not wish this, then I will refrain from trying."

He thought he finally understood, and she was leaving it up to him if he wanted to keep her in his life or not.

All the time he spent in the system, he yearned for parents. He _wanted_ a mother and a father. He first approached her because he wanted to know everything. And, yes, he was hoping she would want him even though she had given him up so many years ago. It was his old optimism at work.

"I don't _not_ want to know you," he said finally. "I'm just not as…open as I was a year ago."

"I understand," she nodded. "Things have happened for you too that weren't in your plans."

"You're not wrong," he said, looking away again.

He noticed a random girl passing by with a group of friends. The girl frowned slightly when she saw him but kept walking. She glanced back a few more times.

The girl finally walked far enough away that neither of them could see the other, but he lowered his gaze to the ground.

Another reason he didn't like going into Mystic Falls anymore—he didn't know what Malivore had done while in his body.

He tried not to think about it, but whenever strange things like that happened his mind immediately went to the worst place imaginable.

Malivore spent that month trying to destroy any threat to him, but what _else_ had he done? He originally wanted to take over his body to kickstart his new lineage. Did Malivore get the chance to use his body for that purpose? Even scarier, did Malivore even care if the person was compliant or not? Landon would never know the truth, but since the Malivore memories had been returned after the ware in Georgia, it was very possible someone could remember something. Thus far, no reports had been made, so he was hoping that meant Malivore hadn't gone that far but he feared the day something horrible was revealed.

Of course, Malivore taking over _his_ body was a complete violation of its own.

"How did you get past it?" he finally asked. "I mean, what happened to you…"

"It helps that I don't have memories of how it happened," she said. "But there was nothing I could do, nothing I could change. It was not easy. Life goes on and I did what needed to be done to get through each day, no matter what surprises came up."

"Like me," he guessed.

"Yes," she nodded.

"What about Chad?" he had to ask.

"He kept me company in Malivore on my second trip. Caused more trouble than not, but," she smiled in amusement, "he grew on me, I suppose."

"Huh," he said.

" _You_ are my son," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But both of you are now part of my family. Maybe one day you will accept him as such."

"And if I don't?" he asked.

"Then you don't," she said with another amused smile.

He nodded.

He could live with that.

* * *

"How historically accurate is this?" Hope asked, snuggling back into Ryan's arms on the couch as they both watched the flatscreen. Michael Fassbender definitely looked different than any other role she had ever seen him in. Of course, the movie was filmed in two thousand eleven. Over twenty years had passed.

"Not too bad," Clarke shrugged. "Its fiction, does it really matter?"

"Guess not," Hope said.

"Does watching mean you can skip reading?" he asked.

She shook her head, "I still need to read it, but at least I can get started on the essays."

"My brain is crammed full of useless Jane Eyre facts now," he said. "What do you need to know?"

"For the first one, I just have to pick which character I most relate to and explain why," she said, still watching the movie avidly. She knew it was nearly over, but she wanted to see the end.

"Sounds easy enough," he said.

"Yeah," she smirked. "I could easily pick out the character that made me think of you."

"Let me guess," he sighed. "Rochester."

"No," she shook her head. "Jane."

He looked down at her head, raising an eyebrow, "Jane?"

"She spent her life searching for love," she said. There was also that whole imprisoned in the red room thing, but she wasn't going to mention that.

"And that's not you?" he asked.

"I'm like Helen," she said simply.

"Devoutly religious?"

"No," she shook her head. "Though I _am_ technically an orphan, I have family and friends who love me. _Losing_ my loved ones seems to be my curse, but they'll be there waiting for me when I'm finally at peace, just as Helen knew her family would be. So, she's the one I most relate to."

"Seems like a short essay," he said knowing that character died early on in the book.

"I just gotta pass," she shrugged, watching as the credits began to roll.

"Ready for bed?" he asked.

She looked up at him, smirking as she traced her fingers down his arms.

"Take that as a yes?" he said, returning her smirk.

Sitting up, she stretched, then grinned back at him, "I'm gonna shower."

Before he could say anything else, she sprang to her feet and left for the bedroom, laughter trailing behind her.

* * *

Hope smiled in anticipation as the hot water rained down around her.

It had been so long since she got to spend the full night with Ryan, and the last time she couldn't even appreciate it properly because she fell asleep.

But not tonight! Tonight she was wide awake. Tonight she was trying her best not to shower too quickly even though all she wanted to do was join him in their bed. While he took his in the morning, she preferred showering in the evening. There was something about washing away the day before climbing between clean sheets. So she would take her time.

Taking her time meant he had to wait.

She loved teasing him, especially since he loved to tease her.

He had promised tonight would be all about her after she made the morning about him.

Which meant she was in for a world of tease.

Not that she minded.

Finally finishing, she dried off as thoroughly as she could, then wrapped the towel around her body.

There was no need to dress, and no need to apply her endless supply of lotions and moisturizers—he didn't want a mouthful of that.

Entering the bedroom, she saw him waiting for her on the bed. He had pulled the covers back, but she spotted one problem immediately.

"Now who's wearing too many clothes?" she asked.

Smirking, he rose to his knees and motioned her over, "Come here."

She joined him, climbing onto the bed on her knees facing him, towel still firmly in place.

"Towel?" he said, eyes tracing over her body, clearly wanting to see everything.

"Shirt," she demanded with eyebrows raised.

"Thought you could help with that," he said.

Smirking, she inched closer and reached down, pulling his pullover and t-shirt up and off in one sure movement. Once she cleared his head, she had to admire the mess his hair became. Unable to resist, she reached and ran her fingers through it.

"Mine," she said softly.

"Yours," he replied.

Their eyes met and she felt like she was melting. His gaze promised so many things, tantalizing things. What used to intimidate her, now stirred her insides. The anticipation she felt earlier returned with renewed strength. Her eyes lowered to his lips and that was all he needed before he grasped her forward into his arms, his mouth coming down on hers.

The fireworks that went off every time he touched her weren't far behind. Their mouths met and kissed hungrily. His tongue demanded entrance and she gave it willingly, groaning and pressing herself more firmly against him as he began to explore.

While his mouth did it's delicious work, his hands came up her back, searching for and finding the top of the towel edge. He ran his fingers around, probing until he found the place where she tucked the end in.

When he tugged, she felt the air hit her body as the towel fell. She shivered until he gripped her against him again. Her body warmed up instantly as her breasts pressed against his chest.

When he pulled away from her, she protested and tried to drag his head back down to hers.

He shook his head, but took her hand in his.

"Lay down," he said softly, eyes penetrating hers.

She did as he said, lying on her back in the middle of the bed, his grip on her hand helping to lower her down gently.

He shifted toward the bottom of the bed and met her eyes as he raised one of her legs. Watching her the entire time, he slid his hot hand around her ankle, then leaned in and pressed soft kisses to her skin.

She watched with bated breath as he continued, moving slowly up her leg, his lips and fingers tracing the skin. When he reached her knee and continued up, his lips and fingers on the inside of her thigh now, her body clenched in eagerness. He was getting closer and closer, so much closer to where her core was screaming for him already.

He took even more care, pausing to nip and suck at the skin instead of just kisses and caresses. Her body was shivering again, but this time from the heat. She wanted him so badly.

Just as he was a hairbreadth away from reaching the ultimate goal, he stopped and pulled back. Crying out in dismay, she tried to reach for him, but he was already too far away.

When he grasped the ankle of her other leg, she realized he was going to put her through the same torture again. "Tease…" she murmured before she moaned as he began once more.

She could barely stand it, the pleasure was so intense. She struggled to remain in place, but when his tongue met the inside of her thighs again, she tried to shift down, encouraging him to shorten the distance and taste her. She wanted that more than anything.

He reached a hand up to press against her stomach, holding her firmly in place and setting off more fireworks as he knew how turned on she became when he did anything to her stomach.

She consoled herself knowing he was very nearly there, only moments more and he would finally give her what she wanted.

Right after his mouth finished pleasuring the deepest point of her inside thigh, he pulled away again and she cried out in her disbelief, "Ryan, please!"

He didn't bother replying instead he rose up and kissed along her stomach, joining the fingers that circled her skin.

She tossed her head back against the bed, the frustration falling away as the pleasure overruled her senses again.

His mouth traveled upwards, along with his fingers, and she whimpered as his fingers and mouth found her sensitive nipples. She couldn't control herself as her hips began moving, searching for something, _anything_ to end the torment. She knew he would tease her, but he had never gone this far this long before.

"Please…" she begged between moans.

He was too busy tasting other parts of her, but finally, _at last_ , she felt one hand begin a descent. She hoped it was on its way to where she most needed it. Traveling down her body, over her hip, and closer and closer—she spread her legs even further, hoping he was done with this torment—and…

" _Yes!_ " she practically screamed out as his fingers ghosted over her outer lips.

Amazingly, that was enough. She jerked her hips up suddenly, breathing out and panting as she fell apart, the pressure between her legs finally exploding in a swell of pleasure that rocked her completely.

"Did you just…" he pulled away from her chest, looking at her in surprise.

"Maybe," she managed to gasp out, trying to act coy, but it didn't work because she felt too good. "Yes, yes, yes I did, oh my God."

All he did was touch her once, and she was done. Her face flushed as she grinned up at him.

He smirked down at her, his fingers still between her legs, tracing her gently, "I still have plans for you."

"More?" she asked breathlessly. She wasn't sure she could survive much more.

"At least twice," he whispered as his finger tips slipped between her folds.

"Not possible," she gasped out even as she arched up to meet his fingers.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked.

She didn't need to reply because in the next moment, he had slipped back down between her thighs. She felt his fingers opening her up, parting her folds until the nub of her desire was on display for him. There was no teasing this time, just bold movement as his mouth found her and suddenly she was sure he was going to meet that challenge.

His fingers replaced his mouth, so he could lick his way down to her entrance. She cried out as his tongue slid inside of her and his thumb pressed against her. She tried to spread her legs even further and ended up bending her knees up against her chest. She clutched at them, spreading herself for him, scarcely able to believe she was already on edge again so quickly.

Only Ryan.

He pushed two fingers inside of her once more, even as his tongue continued to move against her.

When he crooked those fingers, he pressed something inside of her that set her off and immediately made her crash over the edge again.

Pushing down on those fingers, she let go of her legs and arched her back as her senses flooded along with the heat between her thighs.

She couldn't catch her breath. She gasped and collapsed back, completely and utterly exhausted.

"Number two," he murmured, looking up at her, loving how blissful she looked.

"More isn't an option," she gasped out. Just the thought of one more mind blowing orgasm after the two she already had was enough to make her want to sleep for a week.

He reached down and removed his own pants that neither of them had bothered with before now.

She saw him, and she desperately wanted him. He still needed release and she was more than willing to give it to him, she just didn't think she would be able to reach a third one before he found his.

She reached out to him, "Come here."

He settled between her thighs, and she attempted to spread her legs further for him. She needn't have bothered since he grasped one of her legs and put it over his shoulder. He reached between their bodies and lined himself up.

His eyes met hers as he slid inside of her.

As his heat met her scalding fire, she reached and grasped his head, gripping hold of his hair again as she tugged his mouth down to hers.

He began thrusting against her as her tongue demanded entrance into his mouth this time. Their tongues found each other's, pressing in rhythm with their bodies.

As he sank inside of her, deeper and deeper, the leg over his shoulder stretched out further. She found herself unable to do anything but enjoy everything he was doing to her. She couldn't even thrust up to meet him; she was completely at his mercy.

He paused in his thrusting to roll his hips against hers. She could feel the shifting inside of her and her body responded. Pleasure and heat pooled in her inner most depths, but she refused to believe she could reach that crest again.

He didn't give up though, instead he increased his movements, slamming into her harder than before. Against all reason, she could feel another orgasm start to build. She clutched at him, pulling her mouth away.

"Let go, Ryan," she managed to gasp out. "Let go."

He shook his head, refusing to do so until she found release again.

"I can't!" she cried out, even as she struggled to push her hips up against his frenzied thrusts.

"You can," he grunted out, sweat pooling on his forehead as he kept himself in check. No way was he taking his pleasure before she found hers.

Seeing the determination on his face, she gave up trying to resist and focused on the rising tide within her. It came pretty easily after that. There was no better feeling than being completely connected to the man she loved, the one who was meant for her.

Focusing on that feeling, she surrendered to it, and found herself moaning out her third release, her head tossed back. His mouth found her neck and he bit down as he finally— _at last—_ found his own release, spilling deep inside of her with one final thrust.

Breathing hard and panting, he released her leg and relaxed against her for several long moments. He kept waiting for her to say something, but when she didn't he turned and looked at her face.

Then he smirked.

She was sound asleep.

He would just have to wait until she woke up again to remind her he had passed the challenge with flying colors.

And maybe then he could also take up the next challenge.

* * *

"A little to the left."

"No, too far, to the right a smidge."

Clarke rolled his eyes, "You know, you could probably do this faster than me."

"I would if I could move properly," Hope said with a dramatic sigh. "But _someone_ decided Hope didn't have to move today."

Clarke held the large mountain lion mural in place against the wall while he waited for her to decide if it needed to be adjusted anymore.

"You don't have to move to use magic," he replied.

"But then I wouldn't get to see you act all manly," she said with a smirk.

"Pretty sure you got to see that last night."

She actually blushed. "Okay, I think that's it."

He let go and backed up.

"Are you sure it's straight?" she said, walking up next to him and tilting her head.

"It's straight," he confirmed.

"I don't know…" she tilted her head the other way.

He went back into the bag he seldom used but still knew _how_ to use the tools inside. _Manly_ , he scoffed to himself. He grabbed the leveler and sat it on the top ledge of the painting that happened to be wide enough to support it.

"There, see? Level," he said.

"Great," she nodded. "Now I can get back to relaxing with my book."

She flounced in the comfy chair and opened up to her marked page.

"And what am I supposed to do while you read about the life of ?" he asked.

"Knit me a sweater?" she suggested.

"What about the next essay?" he asked, sitting across from her.

"Something about Jane's choice to run away instead of marrying Rochester?" she said, trying to remember the question.

"Which is why I could never relate to Jane," he said. "She got what she wanted. She found love, and he wanted to be with her. He wanted to marry her. And yet she ran away. Makes no sense."

"Because he was already married," she said.

"But he didn't love or want the wife," he shrugged. "She was out of her mind."

"It didn't matter," she said. "She had too much respect for herself to take only what was offered, to be the 'side piece'. She wanted a marriage that was real. And she wouldn't settle for anything less. She didn't want to just live to be with someone either. She wanted her life to have more purpose than that."

Clarke fell silent, contemplating her words. That all rang the exact opposite for him… He would gladly take whatever Hope offered just so he could have that love. He didn't make any demands of her, and he _had_ accepted that she had feelings for someone else before she finally chose him once and for all. He didn't regret any of that either, just like he had no regrets in declaring that Hope was his purpose in life. Was he supposed to respond differently than he had to everything? He didn't really care if that were the case.

He was happy. He was loved.

He thought back to yesterday when she talked about all the things she wanted to do with her life. Maybe that was her saying, without using the words, that _he_ wasn't _her_ purpose. She hadn't mentioned Triad in her future. All she mentioned were things he _wasn't_ a part of. What did that even mean?

His entire life had always been connected to someone else. Without that, who was he on his own? And did it even really matter?

All he needed was her.

"You're wrong," he said. "I relate to no one. I would've killed the wife out of mercy years ago. Then there would've been nothing holding Jane and Rochester back."

"I don't believe that," she said, glancing up.

"Why not?"

"Because you would never kill Lizzie, no matter how insane she becomes."

"It's a fictional character, Hope," he said.

"And what is literature but a commentary on real life?" she asked.

"Well this one doesn't comment on mine," he said.

"If you say so."

* * *

"You're still in bed?"

Lizzie groaned and pulled the covers further up.

"Come on, Lizzie," Hope said. "I can't touch you, so you gotta pull the covers off yourself."

"Go away," Lizzie grumbled, burrowing further into her pillows.

"What's wrong?" Hope asked. "Dinner with Jack was your idea."

 _Oh, right_ , Lizzie remembered. "Ugh."

Hope sighed. Dinner was scheduled for seven. It was six o'clock. She realized she hadn't heard from Lizzie all day. When she tried to text, then call repeatedly, she got no response. She finally called Josie, but the twin said Lizzie was still in bed and she wasn't allowed to bother her today for fear of severe repercussion.

Astral projection was the only way she could reach Lizzie without wasting even more time by getting a ride to the school first.

"Is it your period?" Hope asked. "There're some pain pills in my room if you're out?"

"Nooo," Lizzie mumbled.

 _Was this the same problem as yesterday,_ Hope wondered. Something was definitely wrong with Lizzie. She was depressed. If she didn't want to go to dinner, she didn't have to.

"If you don't want to go, that's okay," Hope said. "Just read me Jack's number off your phone and I'll cancel for you, okay? You don't gotta go, but it would be mean to make him wait around for nothing, you know?"

Lizzie didn't want to go, but she didn't want to cancel, but she wanted to go, but she _did_ want to cancel.

She didn't know what she wanted.

She twisted around in her covers, flailing slightly.

"Forget about all that," Hope said finally. "I'll get a Lyft to school and use your phone. No one is going to make you do anything you don't want to." And she was going to lay down right next to Lizzie and stay with her until whatever this was passed.

Lizzie finally flung the covers off in a huff, "Fine! I'll get up!"

"Are you sure?" Hope asked warily.

"Yes, yes," Lizzie turned and planted her feet on the floor. "It's that late? I'm never gonna make it on time."

"Give me Jack's number," Hope said. "I'll let him know we're running late while you get ready."

"Thanks," Lizzie mumbled, opening her phone.

"She'll be here in an hour," Hope said when she returned to her living room.

"Forget she had a date?" Clarke asked, amused.

"Not sure if she remembered or not," Hope said, frowning as she typed into her phone. "She was still in bed."

"At six on a Sunday?" Clarke asked.

"I told you," Hope said, sending the message to Jack. "She's been acting different. I think she's depressed."

"Then why not cancel?"

"She decided to go," she shrugged. "Maybe she'll feel better after getting out for a while."

"Dinner should be interesting."

* * *

At seven fifteen, a blue 1969 Chevy Camaro squealed to a stop in front of the apartment building.

"Hurry up," Lizzie said, reaching over to pull up on the lock. "I'm making the _worst_ impression in the world."

"Don't worry," Hope said, opening the door and leaning the passenger seat forward so she could climb into the back. "I told him it was my fault."

She pulled the seat back in place for Ryan to climb into the front seat next to Lizzie.

"You're a peach," Lizzie said, waiting impatiently for Clarke to close the door so she could take off.

"Orange and fuzzy," Hope laughed. "Yeah, that's me."

"Come on, come on," Lizzie tried to rush Clarke along. "We don't have all day, Shrek."

He closed the door and glanced at her, "Am I supposed to understand that reference?"

"You should, mud boy," Lizzie said, putting the car into drive and squealing out of the spot.

"Okay!" Hope exclaimed, gripping hold of the seat in front of her. "Slow down. We'll never get there if you crash!"

"Okay, okay," Lizzie said, biting her lip. "This is ridiculous. Why am I doing this again?"

"Because you like him and he likes you?" Hope said.

"What if he doesn't like me when we're not in some dark smoky club with pulsating sounds and sexy lights?"

"It wasn't smoky, or very sexy for that matter," Hope said. "He likes you enough to meet up again, so that's a positive sign! Don't you agree, Ryan?"

"Hmm?" Clarke looked back at her. "Oh, yeah."

"He's not even paying attention," Lizzie said.

"Yes, he was," Hope gave him a pointed look.

"No, I wasn't," Clarke shrugged.

"Why did I even suggest bringing him?" Lizzie said.

"Because you didn't want to meet Jack alone," Hope reminded her.

"Speaking of," Lizzie reached out and poked Clarke in the arm. "At some point between appetizers and dinner, Hope and I are gonna go powder our noses."

"Okay…and that required poking because?" he asked.

"Making sure you're paying attention," Lizzie said. "Because _that's_ when you're gonna find out about the 'real' Jack."

"Isn't that the point of _you_ having dinner with him?" Clarke asked.

"But you're a _guy_ ," Lizzie said. "Guys find out things about other guys."

"Just how long do you think we'll be powdering our noses?" Hope said. "He can't find out _that_ much in five minutes."

"He'll find out something," Lizzie shrugged. "He works for Triad, doesn't he?"

"I _own_ Triad," Clarke corrected her.

"See? Even he agrees he can find something in five minutes," Lizzie said.

"Or you can ask his last name and I can run a background check before dinner is over?" Clarke suggested.

"You can do that?" Lizzie asked, surprised and suddenly very interested.

"Guys," Hope leaned forward. "Chill. It's _just_ a date. Who knows, Lizzie, maybe _you_ won't like him once you meet him again."

* * *

"Oh, I definitely still like," Lizzie murmured to Hope as they walked into the restaurant and she spotted him waiting.

Jack's face brightened when he saw Lizzie and immediately came to greet her.

"Hey," he said, his eyes meeting hers. "I'm glad you called."

Lizzie felt slightly flushed. At least he remembered what she looked like. He could've met any number of girls that night, or any night since.

"Sorry we're late," Lizzie said, feeling a little uncertain.

"That's my fault," Hope interjected. "I'm Hope."

"This is Hope," Lizzie quickly grasped hold of an excuse to talk without sounding like an idiot—introductions! "My best friend."

"Nice to meet you," Jack nodded, shaking her hand quickly.

"And her boyfriend—"

"Clarke," Clarke stepped between the girls and reached out his hand, eyes very deliberately staring at the newcomer. "Ryan Clarke. You can call me Clarke."

Jack stiffened slightly though he hid it fairly quickly, "Jack."

Hope noticed the sudden tension between the guys and she glanced at Ryan in confusion.

"Right," Jack said, shifting focus back to Lizzie. "I already got us a table."

Lizzie put out her hand and he took it, smiling at her as he led her away.

"What was that?" Hope whispered to Ryan.

"What?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her waist as they followed the other two.

"Was that you being all big brother threatening or something?" she asked.

"Something like that," he said.

"Well, chill," she whispered. "Lizzie's really excited about him. Don't ruin this for her."

He nodded, but he was pretty sure _Jack_ was going to ruin it for Lizzie, not him.

The table ended up being a booth. Jack and Lizzie settled into one side with Jack against the wall. Clarke and Hope settled into the other side, with Clarke across from Jack.

The girls looked over their menus and began talking, bringing Jack into the discussion. Clarke didn't pay much attention. He was too busy being amused, watching this guy squirm in his seat.

Jack. Jack Delaney.

Triad operative, who knew he was in a world of trouble.

Jack may not have recognized Clarke in appearance, but he definitely recognized his name.

When Hope insisted on going to a human club with her friends and Clarke couldn't tag along, he was unable to resist sending someone to keep an eye on them.

The girls weren't allowed to use their powers and they hadn't spent much time in the real world. Hope would probably be annoyed if she knew, but he couldn't help it. She was his number one priority. She was probably the most powerful person on the planet, but that didn't mean she was immune to the evil in the world. Evil that Clarke knew all too much about. He hadn't asked for any details in the report, he did _not_ want to spy on her. He just wanted to make sure she was safe.

Jack Delaney was young, but he was good at his job. Clarke had selected him based on his history with the company.

Everything had gone well until the moment Clarke walked into the restaurant and discovered that his operative had ignored one of the mission rules.

Do _not_ make contact.

He could interfere if a threat came to pass, but he wasn't supposed to stand out. And he sure as hell wasn't supposed to dance with Lizzie or give her his number.

While he might be willing to see past all that if Lizzie really wanted to date Jack, he was pretty sure Jack wouldn't want to really date Lizzie.

"You two go to the same boarding school?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Hope nodded.

"What school?" he asked.

"You've probably never heard of it," Lizzie said. "The Salvatore School. It's in Mystic Falls."

Clarke could tell the instant Jack recognized the name. His gaze swung immediately to Clarke's.

The warning in Clarke's eyes ensured Jack didn't say anything stupid.

Jack did shift slightly away from Lizzie though.

"Shouldn't you do that thing where you powder your nose before dinner arrives?" Clarke asked Lizzie.

"Oh," Lizzie said, remembering her poke mission. "Right! Hope?"

Hope slid out of the booth, "Sure."

"Be right back," Lizzie said to Jack with a grin.

Hope gave Ryan a curious glance as she followed Lizzie.

The second the girls were out of sight, Jack sat up straight.

"Sir, I apologize," Jack said immediately. "I'll leave. She'll never hear from me again. I swear."

Clarke leaned back and smirked at him.

He wanted very much to open a portal to Malivore and toss this idiot in, but Hope would remember him even if Lizzie didn't. Plus, he wasn't that guy anymore.

Not that he couldn't wish he still was.

"You're not going anywhere," Clarke said.

"But she's—"

"A witch," Clarke supplied. "I know."

"A witch," Jack nodded.

It didn't matter what she was—wolf, vampire, or witch—most Triad agents didn't like being around any supernaturals much less _dating_ one. Clarke hadn't told the operative the girls he was protecting were supernatural.

Clarke leaned forward, the look on his face leaving no room for argument.

"You're going to stay and be exactly the kind of guy she _wouldn't_ want," he glared. "You're going to make her reject you."

"But, sir—"

"Make _her_ reject _you_ ," he repeated. "If you hurt her, you're done."

"Yes, sir."

Whether young Jack Delaney thought Clarke was threatening his job or his life, it didn't really matter.

Lizzie was going through enough right now. This idiot wasn't going to reject Lizzie for what she was. He knew exactly what that felt like, and he wouldn't allow it to happen to her.

The dinners arrived by the time the girls came back.

Lizzie glanced at Clarke, raising her eyebrows as if asking for feedback right then. He just raised his eyebrows in return and shrugged.

Rolling her eyes, she scoffed.

"What was that?" Jack asked, hearing the sound.

"Oh, nothing," Lizzie said.

"Ryan's just being annoying," Hope said, having seen their exchange. She elbowed him.

"What else is new?" Lizzie said.

"They argue like siblings all the time," Hope had to say, winking at Ryan.

"As if," Lizzie said. "Fortunately, I only have a sister."

"A sister?" Jack said, throat suddenly very dry. He picked up his drink quickly, focusing on the sibling comment. If his boss regarded Lizzie as a sister… he had _seriously_ screwed up.

"Yeah," Lizzie replied. "It's too bad you couldn't meet her. Maybe next time we can double with her and her girlfriend."

Nodding, Jack put the drink down on the table. He had to figure something out. He couldn't hurt her, but he had to get her to decide never to date him again. Beyond being just plain disgusting, what else would turn a girl off without hurting her? Maybe he could just piss her off?

"So everything's okay with Josie and Jade?" Hope asked.

"Yeah," Lizzie nodded. "They made up and seem to be better than ever now. Thank _God_. I did _not_ want to be responsible for breaking them up."

Inspiration finally struck, and Jack swallowed thickly before he said one of the worst things he could think of—one he definitely didn't agree with, but his job…and possibly his life… depended on it.

"So, she has a girlfriend?" Jack asked. "Is that a phase or something?"

Lizzie and Hope both turned to stare at him as if he suddenly grew a second head.

"A _what_?" Lizzie asked a bit loudly.

"Really, Jack," Hope said frowning. "It's two thousand thirty two. I was pretty sure most people had evolved past thinking like that."

"I mean, yeah," Jack shrugged, "It's been trendy for a while."

" _Trendy!?_ " Lizzie's face was so red, she looked like she was about to explode.

"I think it's time for you to go," Hope said pointedly, really wishing she could punch this guy.

"I agree," Lizzie turned and stood abruptly. "Leave. Now." She pointed at the front door.

"But dinner—"

"It's covered," Clarke said, glaring. "You can leave now." He probably should've been a _tad_ bit more specific. A comment like that very well _could_ hurt her. Fortunately so far it just looked like she was angry.

Jack slid out of the booth, being careful to stay away from the fuming witch, and left as quickly as possible.

Lizzie sat back down in a fluff of anger, "Seriously? Wow. Do I know how to pick them or what?"

"Not all guys are like that," Hope said.

"Definitely a waste of dinner," Lizzie said.

"We could go for ice cream when you're done?" Clarke suggested.

"That does _not_ sound like a horrible idea," Lizzie said, sinking back into her seat. "Only mint chocolate chip can make me forget _that_ human stain."

"I've already forgotten him," Hope said, reaching across the table to pat her hand.

"Can't believe I got out of bed for this," Lizzie grumbled.

"You mean, spending time with me and Ryan?" Hope said. "Definitely the best reason to get out of bed."

"Yeah, yeah," Lizzie tossed her napkin. "I'm ready for ice cream now."

"You're driving," Hope said, putting her napkin down too.

"Not like you can drive stick anyway," Lizzie said, rising from her seat.

"I wouldn't say that…" Clarke murmured to Hope as he tossed enough bills to cover dinner and tip on the table.

"Ew!" Lizzie said. "I heard that."

Clarke smirked at her as he followed the girls out of the restaurant.

That guy was lucky to be alive. That was definitely Hope's mercy showing through him. Clarke was trying to be a better person though, and not just for her.

However… for anyone who tried to hurt his family, it didn't matter what Hope said or wanted.

There would be no mercy.


	9. No Worst Cast Scenarios

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I own nothing but my own words._
> 
>   
> credit: [@hopeforhopan_](https://instagram.com/hopeforhopan_?igshid=5nwljukhxolu)

Lizzie looked at the rock on the ground.

Standing in the grass, far away from the school where she could focus on her homework without being disturbed, she struggled to manipulate the air around the rock.

She still didn't understand why she couldn't just use magic to move it.

But that was the assignment, and she had yet to perfect it. Of course, _Hope_ already figured it out and didn't need to keep working on it. She offered to come help, but Lizzie wanted some alone time.

She knew she was struggling. It started last week, and she didn't know why. She didn't always take her medicine because she didn't like the way it made her feel, but she _had_ been taking it since she broke the glass at family dinner. That night scared her. When she got out of control, she flung things around and broke things in her path, but she had never hurt _herself_.

If the medicine wasn't working, that meant she might have to increase her dose. And that would probably make her feel even _worse_. She had to figure out a way to get through this down swing without increasing her medication. The first step was _not_ spending all day in bed. She knew better, but she couldn't help it. Fortunately, today was Monday and the weekend was over. She had to go to classes; there wasn't any way around it.

She was well aware of her condition and the symptoms she was facing. Therapy helped her recognize the signs. She probably shouldn't even be alone right now, but Hope had been by her side since they got back from the disaster of a dinner. She appreciated Hope refusing to let her lay in bed alone the rest of the night. Hope didn't force her to talk, she was just… _there_. Reading a novel for class and keeping her company.

Maybe she should've let Hope come along now too, but she knew Hope had to work on making up her classes and had plans to spar later.

She couldn't take up more of her time. Hope probably didn't really want to spend time with her anyway. She probably just felt sorry for her because of her horrible date.

Lizzie shook her head.

 _No._ _Stop_.

Hope cared about her. She wouldn't have stayed with her if she didn't. It was just her paranoia getting to her. Something _else_ she could thank whatever the hell was going on with her for putting into her head.

It was like she was showing all the classic symptoms of a nervous breakdown. At least she hadn't had a panic attack yet.

 _Stop doubting Hope_ , she told herself.

Hope cared.

Hell, even Clarke cared.

After dinner—that _Clarke_ paid for when he didn't have to since she was the one who insisted they all come along—they went for ice cream which he also paid for, insisting she get whatever she wanted as much as she wanted, and for once he didn't bicker with her no matter what she said to him.

She felt like she was actually out with _friends_ , not just Hope, but Clarke too. After ice cream, it was _his_ idea to go back and hang at their apartment. She declined because she just really wanted to go back home and burrow under the covers, but even Hope seemed surprised when he said that. She wasn't sure how she felt about Clarke acting like a friend; it was really weird considering how much she disliked him for so long.

Mom said he cared about her, but she hadn't believed her. Now, she actually wondered if Mom was right.

But no, that was a stupid thought.

No one _really_ cared about her. They all had their own lives. They didn't have time for the broken freak who couldn't control her mind, who had mood swings at the drop of a hat.

Suddenly she felt like she was struggling for air and cursed. She just _had_ to jinx herself about those panic attacks, didn't she? She attempted to focus on her breathing, but it was too much. It was building up inside of her. She closed her eyes, hoping that would help. Of course, it didn't. She couldn't catch her breath.

Fear washed through her, compounding the panic and she felt so lost. Nothing felt right.

She opened her eyes again, but she couldn't focus on anything in front of her or around her. All she felt was the panic, which made her unable to see that her spell spun out of control with her loss of concentration.

"Whoa, cool! A tornado!"

She could hear something behind the panic but couldn't make it out. Instead, she clutched her chest where it was starting to hurt.

"You okay?" MG asked, reaching out to touch her shoulders gently and turn her around.

Gasping, she struggled to see what was in front of her but everything was a blur until she felt gentle hands on her forearms. Her vision cleared slightly and she was pretty sure it was MG that had come to her rescue.

MG looked from her face to the mini-tornado behind her picking up speed.

"Lizzie, can you hear me?"

She struggled to understand the sounds and finally the words broke through.

She nodded and gripped the arms more tightly as the swelling in her chest became even more restrictive.

"What do you need?" he asked, prodding her forward away from the tornado.

"Air," she gasped out. "I can't breathe."

He took her hands and put them against his chest.

"Focus on my breathing," he said.

She felt his chest as he took a slow breath. She focused on the feeling of his breathing in, and then again when he breathed out. He continued and she kept her focus until she realized she was breathing right along with him.

MG didn't want to rush her, but he kept one eye on the spinning wind tunnel behind her.

Amazingly, it hadn't moved from that spot, but he wasn't taking any chances. If it started moving toward them, he would have to grab her and run. If she started panicking again, he would help her through it again.

Gradually, she pulled away, finally breathing better on her own.

"I'm okay now," she said, looking away.

"If you're sure…"

"I said I'm okay, MG!" she snapped. She immediately felt bad. She hadn't meant to speak like that to him but as soon as the panic went away she felt incredibly irritable.

"Good," he said with a smile. "Then, do you know how to stop that thing behind you?"

Her eyes widened and she spun around, "Darn it."

"Didn't think Doctor Saltzman would be good with the witches doing, well, _that_ ," MG said.

"I was just supposed to move the air around a rock to pick it up," she explained.

"Well, there are rocks," he said, seeing the small pebbles inside of the funnel. "Not just one either. I'm surprised they haven't started flying everywhere."

"No worst case scenarios," she said, holding up her hand in warning. "Just help me figure out how to stop it."

"You said you were moving the air, right?" MG shrugged. "Just move it again, or rather, stop it."

She reached out toward him.

"Oh, right," he let her take his hand to siphon.

Lizzie took a deep breath, grateful nothing in her chest hurt when she did so, and focused on the air again, repeating the spell.

It took some time, but the wind slowly dispersed until the last of the small rocks dropped to the ground.

Well, at least now she knew _why_ she was supposed to manipulate the air and not the rock itself. She was pretty sure her teacher never wanted them to get _that_ far with it though.

"Thanks," she breathed out. If MG hadn't come along, who knows what would have happened.

She let go of his hand and sank down into the grass.

"I need a minute," she said.

"Sure," he said, dropping onto the grass next to her. "That was wild."

"That's me, wild and crazy siphon with no control," she muttered.

"But you got it back in the end," he said. "You never lost it completely."

She sighed. He couldn't understand what was going on inside of her, no matter how much he tried to. Especially since s _he_ didn't know what was going on.

When he realized she wasn't going to keep talking, he changed the subject.

"It's been nice, seeing you this weekend," he said. "I haven't seen you that much since my Ripper 101 class and fighting Malivore."

She shrugged. "You passed the class."

"Yeah, once," he said. "You do know fighting the blood lust is a constant thing, right?"

"Do you need me to start up Ripper 201?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Not really."

"I should get back to this," she said, motioning to the rocks on the ground.

"Guess I just miss you," he went on.

"I'm right here," she said spreading her hands out. "I'm still your friend, MG. Don't be weird."

"You know, you didn't ask how my date went and it's been weeks," he said, reminding her he mentioned having an upcoming date the night of the Sweetheart Dance. The girl was nice, but he wasn't as interested in her as he hoped he would be. Everyone pretty much paled in comparison to Lizzie anyway.

"Had to be better than _mine_ ," she grumbled, not needing a reminder. MG's date was the reason she decided to put herself back out there again. _Ugh_.

"You had a date?" he asked with a slight squeak at the end.

"A double date, with Hope and Clarke," she said. "But he was a Neanderthal."

"Clarke?" MG asked with a smirk.

"No, my date," she rolled her eyes. "Clarke was… nice. My date's brain hadn't evolved past boy-girl relationships."

"You mean…?"

"Total homophobe," she said with disgust. " _Really_ need a better screening process for potential suitors."

"Huh," MG said nonchalantly.

"Maybe you could help me with that? New project?" she asked.

He shifted uncomfortably. That definitely was _not_ what he wanted. He went that route before, helping her with Sebastian. He didn't think he had it in him to do it again. But when had he ever been able to say 'no' to her.

"What am I saying?" she shook her head before he could respond. "Focusing on boys is _not_ what I want to do right now. At all. Not with all _this_ ," she finished, waving her hand around.

"Like the panic attack?" he asked.

She nodded stiffly. "I think I'm getting worse. Or maybe this is just _me_ now."

"Then I think we've found our new project," he said. He cleared his throat. "Not that you're a project or anything, I just mean that… I can help you. I mean, you helped me, and I want to help you. It's kind of our thing?" Not that he was helping her just because she helped him. He would do anything for her.

"How can _you_ help _me_?" she asked, trying not to glare and snap at him again. There he went again, he was delusional if he thought he could ever understand her.

"I know there's no way for me to know what you're going through," he said, "but I figure just being here whenever you need me is a start. I can meet you out here when you practice magic too, if you want? Just in case?"

In case she turned the wind into a giant tornado that wiped out everything around for miles is _probably_ what he meant by 'just in case'...

"Plus," he continued, "You helped me with my ripper and you didn't know what I was going through, but you helped anyway, ya know?"

…But the prospect of spending time with him, just like she was now, made her feel a bit more calm. Also, she liked his company.

MG felt his heart flutter slightly when she gave him a sweet smile before looking back at the clearing where the tornado once spun.

Focusing, she whispered the words of the spell again and moved her hand.

As he watched, the little rocks that dropped to the ground from her tornado moved in the wind, springing up in the air, and then the wind flowed, spelling out the letters M-G.

She was pleased.

It looked much better than her first attempt with Hope.

* * *

"Let me guess, your film school application?" Jade asked, staring up at the sky.

"That's done," Wade said, looking at the sky too as he adjusted the hand controls to fly the drone over head. "This is just for fun."

"Hey, guys!" Hope said, walking up to join them.

Wade glanced at her, a bit confused, "Hello."

"Whatcha doing?" Hope asked, looking from Wade to Jade.

"Well, he's flying his drone," Jade said, bringing her head down to focus on the tribrid. _Why_?

"Ah," Hope nodded. "Drones. Interesting."

Jade raised an eyebrow, just as confused as Wade. Hope was a very polite person, but she never deliberately set out to talk to either of them just for the heck of it.

"Did you need something?" Jade asked, deciding that was the reason Hope approached them.

"Not really," Hope shrugged. "I'm on my way to spar with Ethan. I saw you guys and wanted to say hi."

"Well, hi?" Jade said. _What the?_

"Right," Hope laughed a bit awkwardly.

As Jade watched, she stepped back as if she were going to leave, but it looked like she couldn't decide if she had more to say or not.

"Oh, um," Hope turned back to Jade suddenly. "Girls' night. We're having another one at the end of the month. Karaoke. Josie's choice. I just wanted to say you can definitely come, I mean if you want to."

Jade slowly nodded, "I'll talk to Jos about it."

"Right," Hope nodded too, smiling brightly. "Sounds like a plan."

"Yeah?" Jade knew she was gazing at Hope strangely, but she didn't really care.

"Yeah," Hope stepped back again. "So, I'm gonna go now."

"Bye?" Jade said, frowning at her.

"Bye!" Hope said, turning to leave.

"Bye," Wade said, still staring at the sky.

"Bye, Wade!" Hope turned back to wave, and then kept going.

"Huh," Jade murmured as she watched Hope walk away.

"That was strange," Wade said, still focused on his drone.

"Yeah…" Jade tilted her head.

"Can I try?" she asked, focusing back on Wade. She was here to spend time with her friend after all.

But as she listened to Wade's instructions and she took over flying the drone, her thoughts kept returning to the tribrid.

Hope Mikaelson never stopped to talk to her or Wade as if they were friends before. That girls' night out invite was an after thought at best.

She wasn't sure, but she found it highly suspect.

Usually she would shrug it off.

Except Hope was dating Clarke, and Clarke was Triad, and Triad was after Wendy.

Had Clarke told Hope to keep an eye on her?

She needed to talk to Josie.

* * *

"You did it!" Hope said with a huge grin.

"Yeah, I did," Ethan smiled at her enthusiasm.

"How was it?" she asked. "I heard the news, but haven't heard much about the fight itself because I've been so busy."

"It was… intense," Ethan said, shrugging.

"How's Raf been since?"

"Not that great," Ethan sighed. "The pack stayed with him until he woke up, but he wasn't too happy about any of it."

That was an understatement.

When Rafael regained consciousness, he was still in wolf form. Instead of shifting back, he turned to growl at everyone. Both Ethan and Jed had tried to talk to him, but the hybrid didn't want to hear any of it.

He turned and ran off.

"He took off," Ethan said. "He won't speak to anyone from the pack, and definitely not me. I've tried."

It frustrated him. Rafael was still part of his pack, and he was still family. Ethan wanted to _tell_ him that. But Raf was too angry.

"Give him time," she said. "He'll come around. He just has a lot of other stuff going on, like trying to break the sire bond."

"From what I've heard," Ethan winced. "After he changed back, he hasn't shifted again since the fight."

"But he usually spends most of his Sundays doing that," Hope frowned. "In fact, he should be doing that now too since school's been out for a while."

"Maybe he's taking a couple of days off?" Ethan offered. "I'm just saying. When I went to talk to him, I kept trying to find him in a cell, but he wasn't there. When I tracked down Landon, that's what I was told."

"Thanks for the head's up," she said. "I'll check with Landon in a few days. Make sure it was just a break."

"Hopefully he'll be willing to talk to me by then too," Ethan said.

"In the meantime," Hope said, lifting her long wooden stick in the air. "Let's see how you've improved with your stick work, mister Alpha."

Ethan gripped his own stick tightly with both hands.

"Ready."

* * *

"Surprised you bothered showing up," Alyssa snapped as she walked past the brunette on her way down the stairs Tuesday morning for her usual jog.

"Sorry, I meant to come yesterday," Josie said, walking faster to catch up. "Not used to waking up this early. I'm here now though!"

"Fabulous," Alyssa said sarcastically, not bothering to wait for the other girl to catch up as she walked out the door and started jogging.

"Wait up!" Josie said, rushing after her. "Shouldn't we stretch first?"

"Already did," Alyssa spat back over her shoulder.

Josie dropped into a quick leg stretch, rushing through it so she didn't get too far behind.

"Just give me a minute!" she grumbled loudly.

Alyssa ignored her and kept going.

"Oh, come on," Josie muttered to herself before sprinting after the witch.

"What's your problem?" Josie said when she finally caught up and was able to slow to a jog. She started stretching her arms as she moved since she couldn't stop and do it.

"I don't have one," Alyssa said.

"You could've just said no if you didn't want me to go," Josie huffed as she struggled to keep up.

Alyssa didn't bother replying.

Josie stopped.

_Screw this._

"With all the girls' night talk," Josie called out to the jogging figure, "I figured you actually wanted to be friends. My mistake."

She would figure out another drop off to Wendy. There was no use putting up with Alyssa when she was being like _that_.

Turning, she started back to the school. She was already feeling a stitch in her side from not being able to stretch properly.

" _You're_ the ones who don't want to be friends with me," Alyssa turned around and started toward Josie, eyes flaming. "Stop pretending!"

Josie turned back around, "We are literally planning an entire spring break around a trip _you_ want for _your_ birthday! Dad already booked the rooms! We're trying to be friends with you despite everything _you've_ done to _us_!"

"What about Sunday night?" Alyssa spat out, anger and hurt crossing her face.

"Sunday?" Josie asked, pausing to think. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Hope had to message so I wouldn't tell on her for not staying in our room," Alyssa snapped. "You all had a sleepover and didn't bother inviting me."

"Sleepover?" Josie asked in confusion. "Hope hung out with Lizzie, but it was less party and more…do homework and sleep?"

She had gotten back to the room that night to find Lizzie sleeping and Hope propped up in bed next to her reading a book. She went to sleep too once Josie was ready to turn the lights out and go to bed.

"Right," Alyssa scoffed in disbelief.

Josie suddenly realized what the problem was.

"You felt left out."

 _Small world_.

Scoffing again, Alyssa crossed her arms and turned away.

"Look," Josie said, "Lizzie had a bad date and Hope wanted to be there for her."

Lizzie was also depressed, but Josie wasn't looking to give Alyssa even more dirt on her sister.

Alyssa didn't move.

"I was there for the alpha fight, Alyssa," Josie said pointedly. "The way you treated Lizzie, that doesn't spell friendship. There was no way any of us would've even _thought_ to ask you to come. Lizzie needed a friend, not someone who would rub everything in her face."

Alyssa dropped her arms but didn't turn back.

"If you want to be friends, be a _friend_ ," Josie said. "Like I said, we're trying."

"Lizzie isn't," Alyssa said, finally turning back.

"She's the one who asked Dad about spring break, for _you_ ," Josie reminded her.

"I guess…" Alyssa rolled her eyes, "I guess I can back off."

"Do whatever you want," Josie said. "I'm just saying if you want to be included in everything, insulting and putting down Lizzie isn't the way."

"Right," Alyssa muttered. "Can we jog now?"

"Can I finish stretching first?" Josie asked, gripping her side. "I already hurt."

The witch sighed, but her expression wasn't as harsh.

"Fine."

Josie spread her legs and stretched to one side and then to the other, wincing as she pulled at the stitch in her side.

Despite the argument, Josie was actually feeling a lot better about spending time with Alyssa. At least they have something in common with the whole feeling left out thing. Maybe adding a fourth to the trio would be good for Josie in the long run.

Maybe.

* * *

"You rang?" Jade said, knocking on the open door. "I gotta leave for school."

Wade looked up, "I want to show you something."

"What's up?" she asked, walking to his desk where his computer showed a video of some trees.

"I was looking through the footage from yesterday, and I thought I saw something strange, but I'm not sure," Wade attempted to zoom in one place. "Can you see it?"

"Let's see," she said, squinting and trying to make out the pixel design. "Looks like some kind of metal box."

He pressed play.

"Is that a…blinking light?" she asked, seeing a pinprick of green light.

"That's what I was thinking," he said. "But why is it there?"

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Where is it?"

"By the front gates," he said. "But on the outside. It was placed in a way that no one can see it from below. Only the drone could see it from above."

"So what is it?" she asked.

"I _think_ it's a camera," he said.

"Did the school install it?" she wondered.

"I don't think so," he shook his head. "Doctor Saltzman is very careful with what is recorded. It's why he's been so against students having phones. He worries if one wrong video goes viral then suddenly the world will know about supernaturals."

Jade couldn't help but remember everything Josie had told her about Triad.

First Hope talking to her suspiciously and now she finds out someone is keeping track of the front gates… _but why_?

Because they want to know who's coming and going from the school.

Suddenly, she wasn't annoyed with Wendy anymore for refusing to stay in the Salvatore School's basement. If they had tried to sneak her in and the cameras were already in place, they would know _exactly_ where she was.

Triad was keeping an eye on the school, looking for Wendy.

And Hope trying to talk to Jade was all the confirmation she needed to know Triad was keeping an eye on _her_ too.

"Don't tell anyone about this," she said suddenly.

"Do you think Doctor Saltzman knows about it, then?" he asked.

"I'm not sure…" Jade said. That was a good question though. If he knew, then he must be keeping an eye on her as well. "I'll look into it and let you know."

If Triad was really keeping an eye on her, she didn't want to give anything away to indicate she knew they were there.

At least not yet.

* * *

"I'm being watched," Jade said softly as she walked next to Josie through the school halls later that morning.

"How do you know?" Josie asked, resisting the urge to look around.

"Hope talked to me and Wade yesterday," Jade said. "She never comes up and talks to us."

"Um, okay?" Josie raised an eyebrow doubtfully. That was pretty thin reasoning.

"No," Jade shook her head, "not just that. There's a camera on the front gates. I think it's keeping track of everyone who comes and goes. I think it's them. Triad. I just don't know why or if your Dad knows."

Josie was thoughtful.

"Clarke isn't allowed on campus anymore," Josie said. "So the only way _to_ spy on the school is by setting up a camera at the front gate… Clarke and Dad don't get along though, so I don't know if he would've told him."

"So we don't know about Doctor Saltzman," Jade said, "but we know Triad is keeping tabs on me."

"On you?" Josie asked. "How do we know that?"

" _Hope_ ," Jade reminded her, being careful to keep her voice down. "I know she's your BFF, but the girl has _never_ talked to me if you weren't around."

"So you think Hope…"

"I think Clarke told Hope to keep an eye on me," Jade said. "As the inside person since he can't come in."

Josie frowned in annoyance. _Of course_ he would involve Hope. And _of course_ Hope would help him without mentioning anything to Josie whose girlfriend was involved. A little head's up would have been nice.

Unless… Jade wasn't the only one Triad was keeping an eye on.

"What if it's not just you?" Josie asked. "I mean, how can we know for sure they're not spying on other people?"

"Like who?" Jade asked. "They know about my connection to Wendy, but no one else really knows her."

"Like me," Josie glanced ahead, seeing Jed at his locker up ahead right next to theirs. "Or maybe Jed? Or even Wade."

"Because you're all connected to me," Jade realized.

"Exactly," Josie said.

"How can we know for sure though?" Jade asked.

"I've got an idea…" Josie said thoughtfully. "You up for shopping after school?"

* * *

"Mister President of Triad Industries is _finally_ available," Hope teased. "Missed you yesterday."

"I prefer CEO," Clarke replied. "Missed you too."

Hope stared at the screen, taking in his features, wishing he was with her instead of so far away—wherever he happened to be that day. Sometimes missions made it impossible for him to contact her.

"Were you successful?"

"Always," he smirked.

"Good, so now maybe you can tell me where you know Jack from?" Hope asked, eying him. She had been dying to ask that question since dinner, but she wouldn't in front of Lizzie in case they didn't like the answer.

Clarke sighed. He should've known she picked up on that. She knew him better than anyone else after all.

"Triad," he replied honestly.

"Triad?" she asked, confused. "Jack… _wait!_ "

She sat forward, eyes wide, "Not _Jack_ Jack, as in Jack of Lantern? As in Jack, the Pixie Queen's beloved!?"

"No," he shook his head. "Two completely different people… or species. The similarity in their names is pure coincidence."

"Huh."

"Lantern is more…round?" he added.

"So when you say you know Lizzie's Jack from Triad, you mean…"

"He's an agent," he replied.

She sat back against her headboard.

"Ryan, why was a Triad agent at the same club me and the girls went to?" she asked.

"Because I sent him," Clarke said with a shrug. "Someone had to keep an eye on you."

" _Seriously_ , Ryan?" Hope said, looking heavenward. "I can protect myself. Heck, _all_ of us can. We're four powerful witches." Well, Josie didn't have her magic at the moment, but that was beside the point.

"Who weren't allowed to use magic outside of school," Clarke said. "I made sure no one caused trouble. He wasn't supposed to make contact. Hence the reason he's lucky to have a job right now."

"You would seriously fire him for asking Lizzie out?" Hope said in disbelief. "You didn't make him say that about Josie, did you?"

"I told him to find a way to get her to reject him," he said. "He found a way."

"Or he'd lose his job?" Hope asked. "That's terrible, Ryan! Lizzie liked him. Is he even really a homophobe? No, of course he isn't. Why would you do that to her?"

"I was _trying_ to keep her from getting hurt," he ground out, annoyed. "He didn't know any of you were supernatural when I sent him on that mission."

"Oh."

"As soon as she said the school name, he knew," he continued. "He had no interest in dating her after that."

She thought it out and suddenly smiled, "You were protecting her."

He shook his head, "So you're not mad at me for protecting her, just you?"

"I'm not mad," she said. "It's just not necessary."

He shrugged.

"How is she?" he asked, deciding it was time to change the subject.

Hope knew what he was doing but decided the question was more important than their current conversation. Ryan had never once asked about anyone else like that. He had never given any indication to show he really cared about anyone other than her. She told him _her_ concerns about Lizzie, and he had her back, but he had never taken it upon himself to be the first to ask.

Now she found out he not only did everything he could on Sunday to protect Lizzie from getting hurt, he was also asking about her like he actually cared. It wasn't Hope prodding and teasing him. It was all him.

"She's going to class, so at least she's been getting out of bed," she offered. "She was hanging with MG most of today which I think is good for her. I'm gonna check on her again in a little while."

"Is she still getting worse?" he asked.

Hope sighed, "I really don't know. Maybe she's getting better again? I know she has good and bad days."

"It's time to see what Triad can dig up," he decided. He promised her before that he would use Triad's resources to help Lizzie if need be. It looked like it had gotten to that point.

She nodded slowly, "Do you really think this is happening because of what we did?"

"I don't know," he replied.

She looked down. She knew there was a chance. He had warned her. They had warned the twins too, as well as their parents. But given that the only other option was the merge, they all decided it was worth the risk.

That didn't make her feel any less guilty.

It was her idea after all.

"We'll figure it out," he said, seeing her face.

"Right," she nodded, pushing her hair back suddenly, trying to clear her mind, and changed the subject again.

"Oh, I saw Jade hanging with Wade yesterday. But it didn't look like anything suspicious was going on."

"Focus on your make up work," he said. "Let my team do their job. We'll find Wendy. I told you not to worry about it."

"I know," she said. "I can't help it."

"You don't work for me yet," he said.

She laughed.

"Glad I could amuse you," he said.

"Work _for_ you?" she said.

"Work _with_ me then," he corrected. "Gotta admit, we make a good team."

"Yeah…" she trailed off, realizing he wasn't joking or teasing at all. Did he really think she was going to eventually work for Triad? Triad was _his_ , and it would always be a part of her life as long as he ran it, but she never said she wanted to be a part of it.

"I have to go," he said, looking at a message on his phone.

She nodded, deep in thought now. Why did he think that? Was it because they worked so well on the run together? That was out of necessity, and she had killed so many things it was pretty much the last thing she wanted to revisit. On top of that, she _just_ had a whole conversation with him about her future last weekend and never once mentioned Triad. So, where was this coming from?

"Hope?" he asked at her silence.

She shook her head and smiled at him, "Go. Protect the world from things that go bump in the night."

" _You're_ in the world," he couldn't resist pointing out.

She looked heavenward, "Just give me a head's up next time you send someone to spy on me."

"Ha," he guffawed. "I love you."

"I love you too, even though you're way too overprotective," she said.

"Can't help it," he smirked again before ending the video call.

Hope closed her laptop, putting it to the side while she sank back against her pillows.

She wasn't mad at him, but his being overprotective worried her. Her father spent so much time trying to protect her that he forgot to be her father.

Obviously, there were other reasons for that too, like her accidentally astral projecting into a room where he was ripping some of his enemies apart, but it still worried her when it came to Ryan.

As long as he didn't spend so much time protecting her that he forgot to be her boyfriend, she would let him get away with it. It was still unnecessary, but she knew very well how the need to protect could overwhelm. She may have taken a page from her father and gotten a little carried away in her bid to protect Landon when she was dating him.

She hadn't felt that way about Ryan since Malivore was defeated. Yes, Ryan put himself in dangerous situations all the time, but no one was specifically targeting him. If some unstoppable supernatural being came after him, she would probably fall back into her old habits even though he was immortal, but right now? He was fine. And his mother was _Earth_ , for crying out loud. She wouldn't let anything happen to her son.

No, Ryan wasn't the one Hope was currently scared of losing.

That honor went to Lizzie.

Hopping out of bed, she tried to leave the room just as Alyssa arrived.

"It's late," Alyssa frowned. "Where are _you_ going?"

"Out?" Hope said. Remembering she was trying to be friendlier with Alyssa, she volunteered more information. "To see Lizzie."

"I'm coming too," Alyssa said suddenly.

"Uh… what?"

"Need to talk about spring break sometime, right?" Alyssa said haughtily.

"I guess…?"

* * *

"Sorry about last night," Hope murmured to Lizzie as she settled into her seat in Chemistry of Magic the next morning. "Didn't expect her to tag along."

Lizzie shrugged and tossed her hair, "Alyssa is whatever."

"I know, but _I_ was hoping to talk to you without an audience," Hope said.

Lizzie looked around and saw only half the class had arrived so far and most of the students sat away from them. "This is the best you're gonna get until later."

Hope glanced at the class and lowered her voice, "Do you remember what we said about unlinking the twin bond?"

Lizzie nodded slowly, "That it might be too late to stop the darkness from affecting us."

"We're worried that's what's happening to you," Hope said, guilty eyes meeting her friend's.

"How can you be sure?" Lizzie asked defensively. "I mean, Josie hasn't changed at all, and it would've affected both of us."

"We're _not_ sure," Hope said, sitting up straight as the teacher walked in and the rest of the students settled into their seats.

Deciding the rest couldn't wait until later, Hope whispered quickly, "Ryan's looking into it right now."

"Meaning?" Lizzie whispered back.

"He's using all of Triad's resources to find anything he can to help you," Hope whispered.

Lizzie looked at Hope, eyes widening slightly.

Hope nodded in response to her disbelief before turning her focus to the front of the room.

Lizzie pretended to pay attention too but inside her mind was spinning.

Ryan—er, Clarke—was doing all of that for _her_? While Triad had never been one of the Salvatore School's favorite organizations, everyone knew it was a force to be reckoned with. It had existed nearly as long as Malivore had, the knowledge and resources it amassed in that time must be extensive. Triad probably currently had countless missions and research to do, but Clarke was making her a top priority apparently.

She shook her head.

 _No_. What was happening to her _couldn't_ be because of the darkness from the bond. If it was, that meant she was going to get worse. _Much_ worse. Call it wishful thinking, call it denial, call it whatever you wanted, but Lizzie refused to accept that it was true.

"There's another option," Lizzie leaned forward and whispered softly.

Hope nodded her head slightly, letting her know she heard her and should continue.

"Say it's not the magic," she whispered. "Say it's just me. That _I'm_ just getting worse."

Hope didn't respond but she was listening.

"If it really gets that bad," Lizzie went on quietly, "I'll increase my medication."

Hope shook her head suddenly.

"Give it a few more days," Lizzie insisted. "Maybe it'll—"

"Miss Saltzman."

"Yes!" Lizzie sat up straight again, giving her undivided attention to her teacher.

"Maybe instead of talking to Miss Mikaelson, you could show us if you finally mastered the lesson," Ms. Gregory said, eyeing her with a warning.

Lizzie stood up slowly, trying to project an air of superiority to all her peers despite the paranoia flooding her that said all the students were watching her and waiting for her to fail.

She picked up the small bag on her desk and upended it, letting the feathers fall out.

Taking a breath, she whispered the words of the spell and worked to move the air. The feathers started to rise. She decided to just let them hover in the air instead of spelling out anything. That was Hope's little addition anyway.

"Good," Ms. Gregory said, "Now let the air hold the feathers in place at the bottom while moving more air through the top of the feathers, letting them flutter back and forth."

As she worked to do the instructed move, she managed to flutter the tops but lost control of the air at the base, causing the feathers to flutter and blow across the room.

The teeter of amusement from some of her classmates unnerved her.

"Regain control, Miss Saltzman," the teacher instructed. "Maintain focus."

She tried, but the laughter kept echoing in her mind even though Ms. Gregory had shushed the students. She wished MG was there to coax her through it.

"Regain _control_ ," the teacher said again, voice suddenly alarmed.

"I'm trying," she cried out, realizing it was happening again. She wasn't having another panic attack, thank goodness, but she was losing control of the spell.

A tornado was forming.

"Everyone back up!" Ms. Gregory warned, making all the students get up and head for the doorway.

"Lizzie," Hope said, standing but not leaving her friend. "You can do this, just think about the spell. Focus on the air. Make it stop."

"I _can't_ ," Lizzie said before she dropped her hands and put them over her ears to block out everything, even the laughter that had long since left the room but still existed in her head.

Hope looked over and saw that even the teacher looked scared as she raised her hand and attempted to calm the wind.

Taking a deep breath, Hope focused on the tornado, reaching for her magic and telling it to find the spinning tunnel and force it to stop.

Thankfully it did. The spinning slowed down until the wind dissipated.

"Thank you, Miss Mikaelson," Ms. Gregory said, taking a deep breath.

Hope didn't pay her any mind as she went to Lizzie, taking hold of her hands over her ears. "It's over, Lizzie. Everything is okay."

The students began to make their way back to their seats, giving Lizzie wide eyed glances as they went.

Lizzie breathed out, glad it was finally over. She let Hope lead her to her chair and they both sat.

Gaining control of herself once more, she fought to gain back some of her gumption before she looked to her teacher.

"So, did I pass?" She _had_ moved the air after all.

Ms. Gregory gave her a stiff nod, "Just work on control."

"Yes, ma'am," she returned.

She saw Hope looking at her. She hated the guilty look in Hope's eyes. Both she and Josie knew _exactly_ what they were agreeing to when they allowed the New Orleans witches to unlink the bond. They knew the potential dangers. It _wasn't_ Hope's fault.

It especially wasn't Hope's fault since this _wasn't_ because of the darkness.

It was all Lizzie.

She was just born this way.

"I'll make an appointment to see my therapist tomorrow," Lizzie murmured.

She could tell Hope still didn't agree that was the answer, but Lizzie would rather increase her medication than entertain the idea that her mind would eventually forever be lost to the darkness.

* * *

"Hey," he said emotionlessly.

 _Why was it always like this between them now?_ Hope thought. _Oh, right. Because she was with his brother._

"Landon," Hope said, shifting awkwardly in the school hall. The last time she spoke to him one-on-one it was about Rafael. And considering the last time she saw him, he accused her of lying about talking to the wolves, she didn't hold out much hope for a better ending this time. "What's up?"

"What else?" he said. "Rafael."

She nodded, "I heard he was taking losing the alpha-ship hard."

"Yeah," he scoffed sarcastically.

"There's nothing I can do about that," she said. "Ethan won fair and square."

"That's not why," Landon huffed. "He hasn't been trying to destroy the sire bond since he lost the fight."

"I heard that too," she said. "He probably just needs a break."

"I think it's more than that," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I think you need to talk to him."

She shook her head immediately. Rafael had already caused enough trouble between her and Ryan. She wasn't going to do that unless it was a last resort.

"Remember why he decided to break the bond in the first place?" she asked. "He didn't want to hurt anyone. He _still_ doesn't want to do that. Just give him a few more days to get over the hurt before he has to start hurting himself again by shifting repeatedly."

"I think you're wrong," he said, frowning in annoyance. "Why can't you just _talk_ to him? He's your friend too."

"It's not that easy," she said. But it really _should_ be that easy. Rafael didn't ask for any of this, and if he really needed her to be a friend to him…

She sighed, "If he still hasn't shifted by next week, I'll talk to him, okay?" And she would have an overprotective boyfriend on her hands annoyed at her decision, but she didn't have another choice. She was still responsible for Rafael until this was all over. She had to help him.

"Thank you?" Landon said in frustration, raising his arms at his sides. "I guess I'll take what I can get."

"Don't be like that," she said. "I'm doing what's best for everyone."

"How is that what's best for Raf?" he asked. "Or me? I just want my best friend back."

"This isn't about you."

"Of course it isn't," he replied. "It's about you. _Everything_ is about you, isn't it, Hope?"

"What are you even saying?" she said. "I didn't ask for this! I only agreed because I didn't want the wolves to die! Is _that_ what you want? Do you wish Rafael was dead instead of sired to me?"

"Of course not!"

"Then what do you want, Landon?"

"I want you back!" he exploded before he thought better of it. _Crap_.

Hope closed her eyes and winced, "You know that's never going to happen."

"I think 'duh' is the appropriate word here," he said.

"Landon," she opened her eyes. "We wouldn't have lasted even if Ryan wasn't there."

"Beg to differ," he said.

"When I nearly died, you said it then," she reminded him. "If I had died, I wouldn't be me."

"Is _that_ why you forgot about me?" he asked. "Of course you wouldn't be you, you'd be more, and I would just have to get to know the new parts."

"You also said the epic love arrow really _did_ influence your words," she said. "You didn't love me the way you _claimed_ to."

"Well, you didn't love _me_ the way you claimed to either!"

"Exactly," she said, deflating. "And that's why we wouldn't have lasted."

He pressed his lips together, angry she trapped him with his own words. He didn't even know why he was arguing with her about this. The last thing he wanted to do was rehash everything but obviously he still had some things he needed to get off his chest. He knew it was too late. He had been telling himself for months to move on and get over her. There was _no_ chance for them ever again. He knew they would have lasted—when Hope Mikaelson loved someone, she loved them with all her heart—but he ruined it all when he broke up with her. He would never forgive himself for that.

He bet Clarke would never be stupid enough to let her go.

"If he hasn't shifted by Sunday, I'll let you know," he finally said, letting go of his anger as the hurt rushed in again.

She nodded.

He left before he could say anything else he would regret.

* * *

"Report," Clarke said, listening to his headset as he went through some papers he needed to sign.

"Jedediah Santos-DelaCruz left the Salvatore School at sixteen hundred hours carrying a large box and deposited it on the front porch of a home in Mystic Falls owned by Caroline Salvatore. He returned to the school afterward. The box is still sitting."

 _Huh_.

They all knew that Wendy couldn't go shopping for supplies without risking being seen, and she definitely couldn't rent a room anywhere since Mystic Falls had very few rentals making it easy for Triad to keep tabs on anyone staying there.

If she was getting help from Jade, whose girlfriend's mother happened to own the property in question, it would make sense that Josie could help Wendy gain access and a place to stay.

But, while Wendy would definitely need someone else to pick up supplies for her, it seemed incredibly suspicious for Jed to just drop off a box on the front porch.

"Advise?"

"Keep eyes on the box, but don't approach," he said finally. "Contact me immediately if anything changes."

Something was happening, but he wasn't sure what. He would have to see how it played out.

He clicked a button on his desk and called out, "Veronica."

"Yes?" she spoke through the intercom.

"Progress on my research request?"

"Nothing yet, sir," she replied.

He clicked off without saying anything else.

 _Damn it_.

It had only been a day, but still. They should have _some_ thing.

And they _would_ find something.

They had to.

Because he was growing more and more convinced that Lizzie's life depended on it.

* * *

"Well, that answers _that_ question," Jade said, strutting into her room where Josie was waiting for her.

"Did they follow him?" Josie asked, sitting up.

"Not only that, but they're staking out the front porch like they expect her to open the door at any minute," Jade said as she put the drone on her desk to return to Wade later.

"Vamp speeding over the back fence and into town worked well too. They had no idea I even left campus."

"So they're following all of us," Josie said. "Guess it's a good thing we've been extra paranoid."

"We're one safe house down now," Jade reminded her, plopping down on the bed next to her.

"That's okay, there's no way they'll figure out she's at the Mikaelson mansion," Josie said. "Clarke isn't spying on _Hope_ after all."

"What're you going to do about the box?" Jade asked. "I mean, won't they realize you know something?"

"No," Josie shook her head. "I've got a plan for that. I figure I'll give it another day, then go on Friday to deal with it."

"You don't think they'll approach you?" Jade asked.

"Why would they?" Josie shrugged. "It's my mom's house. I have every right to get a friend to drop something off for me."

"I'm surprised Jed agreed," Jade said.

"He wanted to get away," Josie replied. "And it's not like he has any idea what we're doing."

"Ethan's going to get him to talk eventually," Jade said, knowing exactly why Jed wanted to disappear. Jed was deliberately avoiding his new alpha. He complained about it all week.

Jade really wanted to ask Jed more but every time either one of them tried, he would shut down.

"Oh, and here," Jade sat up and reached for the bag she placed on the floor under her bed. "For your morning delivery."

"Thanks," Josie said, taking the bag and putting it to the side. "I'll message her later; let her know about the drop off."

"Tell me again why you don't want me to just vamp speed to drop it off for her?"

"Because we don't know if Triad can detect vampires in motion, and there are too many people trying to keep track of you _on_ and off campus."

She turned back to Jade and grinned, "But in the meantime…"

Josie reached out for Jade, stroking her long hair back, "I haven't kissed you all day."

Jade leaned closer, eyes trained on Josie's lips, "We really shouldn't wait a minute longer then."

"Not one second…"

* * *

"Someone's approaching."

"Is it the target?" Clarke asked, immediately loading the same screen his operatives were watching. They had been watching all night and half the day without any movement. Clarke had tuned in throughout the day, keeping one ear open while doing other work.

This development came at the worst time because he had _just_ received the first report he requested for Lizzie. He should probably put it down and focus on the screen, but he was too impatient.

"Cannot confirm."

He glanced up at the screen again.

It was a cold rainy Thursday in Mystic Falls. The figure on the video appeared to be female and bundled up with a scarf over her head even though she was carrying an open umbrella as well.

They all knew Wendy could have changed her appearance in any way by then. She could cut her hair or dye it. She could also be using a glamour, though someone was on scene with a crystal and would let the team know if the image in the crystal appeared differently from the one on the screen.

He tried to focus on the report again.

"She's going for the box," the voice on his headset said.

"If she leaves with it, follow her," he said.

"She's not leaving."

"Just follow protocol," he said, knowing they could handle it. They kept deferring to him since he repeatedly involved himself. He knew the team lead wasn't too happy about his interference, but he didn't care.

Looking back down at the report, he began to read.

"Use of black magic always comes with consequences. No one can predict its effects and once cast, it's often impossible to completely undo what has been done. If the side effect of black magic involves flooding an individual with an uncontrollable darkness that worsens over time, it's likely the only way to stop it is death."

_Bullshit._

"Earth magic can only do so much to counteract the black, but it could offer some relief if the right spell were found. In an extreme situation, black magic could also be used with the knowledge that even worse consequences could result."

Maybe his mother knew something. She was not a witch, but surely she knew enough about 'earth' magic to offer some kind of advice. The researchers would keep looking for any spell that could help in the meantime.

He would need to talk to his mother, and to Hope to see if she knew a spell.

"Take the shot in 3…"

He looked up at the screen.

 _What_? Had they confirmed it was Wendy?

The screen showed the front door of the house open, the female holding the box balanced with one hand underneath for support as she made her way inside, the umbrella long since folded down.

_One hand underneath._

"2…"

That box wasn't light. Jed hadn't struggled with it, but he hadn't carried it like it was air either. A witch definitely wouldn't have been able to hold it like that.

But a vampire would.

"3."

"Stand down!" he shouted through the headset, connecting the dots.

He was too late.

There was good news, and there was bad.

The good news? The team actually used tranquilizer darts which is what they were supposed to use for this capture, but that didn't mean they weren't ready with something more lethal in case something went wrong. And given they never knew what situation they would find themselves in, the tranquilizers were all laced with a bit of vervain and wolfsbane.

The bad news?

One dart wasn't enough to take down a vampire.

He couldn't really blame Caroline for trying to attack the person who attacked her, just like he couldn't blame his team for releasing a full-on volley of tranquilizer darts at her, succeeding in knocking her out for a while.

He sighed.

"Move her into the house," he said. "Keep her sedated. I'm on my way." If he got lucky, he could be there in two hours.

"Sir?"

"That's not the target, clearly," he said, grabbing his jacket. "That's Caroline Salvatore and when she wakes up, she's going to be _pissed_."

* * *

"You have two seconds to tell me what is going on!"

Thankfully he arrived before she woke up. Seeing his face was the _only_ reason she stopped to ask questions instead of ripping all their hearts out.

"My team made a mistake," he explained.

" _Obviously!_ " she exclaimed.

"They thought you were someone else," he continued.

" _Who_ else would I be?! My daughters?" she yelled. "Why would you do this to them either?!"

"Has Saltzman talked to you?" he asked.

"Ric? No, he absolutely did _not_ mention anything to me about Triad staking out my childhood home!"

"Wendy Von Brandt is a criminal on the run, and we believe she's made contact with Jade," he said. "We were attempting to apprehend her. It's possible she was hiding out in this house. The box was delivered yesterday by Jed, though no attempt was made to retrieve it until you."

Caroline took in his words, processing them slowly.

"My old neighbor called to let me know about the box," she said finally. "She thought it might have been delivered here by mistake."

 _Of course_ , he sighed. Neighbors in Mystic Falls were always so darn helpful.

"So you're watching Jade, but you're obviously watching Jed too considering you followed him here," she said. "Which means you think Wendy was staying here because of Josie, is that it?"

"It fits," he shrugged.

"Fine," she glanced around the living room. "I'll check the house. See if I can offer proof one way or the other."

Ten minutes later and Caroline hadn't found anything.

"Well, if she was staying here, there's no evidence," she raised her hands with a pointed look.

So, they were basically back to square one.

"You've also shown me no proof that Josie was even involved in this, so kindly keep your overzealous followers _away_ from my daughter," she glared at him.

He wanted to argue with her, but he knew she was right. Not that Josie wasn't involved, just that he couldn't _prove_ she was.

"And the box?" he asked.

She marched over and tore it open as quickly as possible.

"A dress," she said, pulling out the pink bit of fluff in a clear protective covering. "And shoes," she looked down into it. "And all kinds of accessories. Oh, and look," she pulled out a curling iron and blow dryer amidst the other supplies.

"Congratulations, Ryan," Caroline huffed as she placed everything back into the box. "You've cracked the case. Wendy's on the run and will go in disguise as a prom queen."

"Why was it dropped off here though?"

"That's for _me_ to find out," she snapped. "But it certainly has nothing to do with you."

"You're right," he replied, turning on his charm to mollify her. "I apologize. We'll be more careful in future."

"You _better_ be."

* * *

"And when were you going to tell me that Wendy had become a _criminal_?"

Alaric looked up from his desk, "Apparently Wendy's a criminal now. There. I told you."

"Isn't that the sort of thing you _share_?" Caroline asked.

"I was handling it," he excused.

"And just _how_ are you handling it?" she asked.

"By keeping an eye out for Wendy since Triad isn't allowed on campus," he replied.

"And what does Jade have to say about any of this?"

"Well, uh…"

" _Please_ tell me you at least _talked_ to her," Caroline said.

He cleared his throat. "I didn't think it was necessary."

" _Talk_ to her, Ric," Caroline demanded. "Find out what she knows, and we'll handle it."

"Clarke will—"

" _Triad_ has no place here," she said. "He didn't want to be a part of the school, remember? And Wendy is our responsibility. We're the ones who will _help_ her. You and I both know Triad isn't looking to help her. They are only called in as a last resort."

"I'll talk to her," he said standing up. "Want to join me?"

"No," she said. "I'm going to find Josie."

* * *

"Mrs. Foster called last night to let me know a package had been delivered to the house," Caroline said as patiently as possible. "There wasn't a name on it, but the stuff inside is your size and style. Do you know anything about that?"

"Oh, yeah," Josie ducked her head slightly. "That was me. I had Jed bring it over because it was too heavy for me to carry all the way."

"There _is_ such a thing as a Lyft," Caroline said.

"I spent all my allowance on the outfit," Josie explained.

"You _do_ have a car that you share with your sister."

"Lizzie has the key and I would've had to tell her why I needed the car, and…"

Caroline looked at her expectantly.

"The dress and everything is for Miss Mystic Falls," Josie said. "I haven't worked up the nerve yet to tell Lizzie I plan to compete for real this year. I didn't want her to ask any questions about the dress, so I decided to store everything there especially since it's being held in town this year. Everything will already be there."

"And you didn't want to give Jed a key?"

"I forgot and he left without asking for it," Josie said. "Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry I didn't mention it to you. I was going to go after school today but since it was raining, I figured I'd go tomorrow instead. I didn't think anyone would notice it."

"It's okay, sweetie," Caroline said, letting out a breath. Josie wasn't involved in anything that was going on. Clearly Ryan had misread the situation. Hopefully Ric has more luck with talking to Jade. "I left the box at the house, so at least it got where you intended it."

"Good," Josie said, relieved that her mother had accepted her explanation. She hadn't meant to involve her in any of this. At least she didn't have to go move the box now. Just thinking about being spied on was creepy as hell.

"And don't worry about telling your sister," Caroline said. "She loves you and just wants you to be happy. You both will compete this year, and you both will be incredible. After all, you have a former Miss Mystic Falls for a mother."

"I'll tell her," Josie said. "On a good day."

"Good or bad, it'll be okay," Caroline said.

Josie nodded.

"But your dress!" Caroline squealed suddenly. "It's so beautiful! I can't wait to see you in it!"

"I can't wait for you to see me in it either," Josie smiled.

* * *

"You asked to see me?" Jade said.

"Sit down," Alaric indicated the seat across from him. "I've got some news."

"About what?" she asked as she sat down.

"Wendy isn't doing so well being back in the world," he said. "There's trouble."

"I see," she said, her mouth suddenly going dry.

"There are people after her," he started.

"What did she do?" she asked.

"She's stolen some things from the wrong people, and not everyone who's come up against her has survived," he said.

"And you want to help them find her," she said, nodding as if she already knew the answer.

"No," he shook his had. "I want to find her so I can help her."

"Help her?" she tried not to scoff, but it was a little hard. "How can _you_ help her?"

"By giving her a safe place here where she can get the counseling she needs," he said.

While Jade thought that was a good idea, she knew Wendy would never go for it. Wendy hated this school, as much as she hated Doctor Saltzman. She already received ten years worth of his kind of help, and she would never agree to a repeat.

"Why are you telling me about this?" she asked.

"Because you're the only person she knows, and if she seeks out anyone, it would be you," he said.

"I see," she already knew that, but she had to act dumb if she didn't want to tip him off. "How long have you known that Wendy was in trouble?"

"A few weeks," he replied honestly.

"But you didn't want to say anything to me until now?"

"I've been keeping an eye out for her," he said.

"Have you been spying on me?" she asked.

"I've been keeping an eye out for her," he repeated.

"Right," she said, lounging back and shutting down completely. "Welp, haven't seen her."

"Jade."

"Yes?"

"She's dangerous. She needs to be found."

"I'll let you now if I see her then," she said almost flippantly.

"Jade, this isn't to be taken lightly," he said. "She's stirred up a world of trouble, and it's only going to follow her and those around her."

"I know, Doctor Saltzman," she said. "Trust me, I know what she's capable of."

"Good," he nodded.

Thankfully, he let her leave without any further discussion.

As she walked to her room, she wrestled with herself, debating whether to go back and confess everything.

She hadn't lied.

Wendy was capable of a great many horrible things, just like a humanity free Jade was.

Ten years ago before she lost that humanity, she _never_ would've let Wendy get away with any of this. But now, even with her humanity turned on, she couldn't bring herself to turn her back on ten years of friendship.

She couldn't betray her best friend.

* * *

Clarke left his team feeling rather disgruntled.

They had all shown fear at his displeasure. He was tempted to replace the entire team, but they knew the lay of the land better than anyone else at the moment. He was hoping to wrap up this mission sooner rather than later.

For now, he was in Mystic Falls a day early and there was nothing he would rather do than spend time with Hope.

After sending off a quick message to Veronica instructing her to clear his schedule for the next day, he called her.

"Ryan, hi!" He could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'm in town early," he said. "Any chance you can meet me at home?"

"Lizzie had an appointment earlier, but we're hanging out now with MG…" she said.

"Ah," he said, feeling a bit disappointed.

"You can join us?" she giggled like she wasn't telling him something. "We're in Mystic Falls."

"Send me the address."


	10. You Called Him Ryan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I own nothing but my own words._
> 
>   
> credit: [@hopeforhopan_](https://instagram.com/hopeforhopan_?igshid=5nwljukhxolu)
> 
> **This chapter is dedicated to[HopeMikaelsonClarke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeMikaelsonClarke/pseuds/HopeMikaelsonClarke). HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RISSY!**

"I'm a bit overdressed."

Hope giggled and held out a small bucket dangling from its handle on her finger.

"Just lose the jacket," she said.

"And put it where?" he asked, taking her offering of a bucketful of coins, resigned to doing this in full office attire.

The address she sent him turned out to be a local old-fashioned arcade.

She met him at the entrance, grinning as she led him into a circus of kids and noise.

"MG's idea," she said a little louder over the ruckus. "He wanted to cheer Lizzie up."

She tugged him along. "And it's working! Come on!"

Lizzie and MG were at the skee ball machines, racking up tickets, each trying to get their balls into the highest numbered hole.

"So close!" Lizzie bemoaned when the ball teetered and then dropped into the second highest.

"No powers, obviously," Hope said to him.

He glanced around. He had never been to one of these places, though he knew what they were. It was never on his list of things to do while helping his father or fighting monsters.

"Score!" MG held up his arms in victory when his ball sank in the top.

"Rats!" Lizzie said.

"Want a turn?" MG asked Hope and Clarke.

"Go ahead," Hope told Ryan.

He shrugged and went over. It seemed easy enough

He looked around, following the instructions on where to put a coin. When the balls were released, he picked one up and rolled it like he saw the other two do.

He could tell immediately he hadn't put enough force behind it and it ended up in the bottom gutter area.

"Wow," Lizzie snickered. "It's like you've never done this before."

"I haven't," he smirked at her before he released another ball with enough force. It went significantly higher.

"Never? Like ever?" MG asked, shocked.

"Clearly he's a fast learner," Hope said, bemused as she watched him toss another ball up the chute.

Seeing Clarke nearly get the highest hole on his third try, Lizzie quickly turned back to her game. "Oh, no, you are _not_ getting a high score before me, prepubescent newbie."

Clarke shrugged and kept going, "We'll see about that."

MG and Hope watched them for a while as they egged each other on. It became apparent it was going to take longer to get that perfect hole though.

Since neither Clarke nor Lizzie were going to stop until one of them hit it, MG looked at Hope, "Shoot some hoops?"

"Absolutely," Hope said, shaking her head at the two. "Ryan, we're going to—"

"Okay!" he interrupted her, paying too much attention to his game to want to be distracted now.

Hope laughed and motioned for MG to lead the way to the basketball games, "We're clearly not wanted here."

"Good, because I've got some three pointers to score on you, Mikaelson," MG said over his shoulder as they approached the next game.

"I'm _so_ going to win," Lizzie said, holding her ball as she considered her next shot.

"That's still to be determined," Clarke said, lining up his next shot as well.

Just as he released his ball, she _pretended_ to stumble to the side and pushed him.

"Hey!" he said as the new roll went awry and ended up in the bottom gutter again.

"Oops?" she said sweetly. "My bad."

"Watch it, Saltzman."

" _You_ can watch _me_ win," she said.

She rolled the next ball, cursing when it missed the top again.

"Statistically, you should've made it at least once by now," he said.

"Ha, ha," she scoffed sarcastically.

"Maybe you'd do better not looking at all," he said, rolling his next ball and missing the top one again.

"Could say the same for you," she grumbled, picking up her last ball. "I'm getting low on coins too."

So was he.

He picked up his last ball too and shrugged, "Throw the last one without looking. Highest number wins."

Lizzie sighed, "Fine. Let's go. Close your eyes."

They closed their eyes.

"On three," she said. "One… two… three!"

After they rolled, they opened their eyes to see where the balls went.

Lizzie's rolled up and landed smack dab in the highest score, while Clarke's went sideways and ended up in the gutter again.

"Score!" she raised her arms in victory, much like MG had done earlier. "Yes! You were absolutely right, Clarke," she said gleefully. "I did _much_ better not looking."

He shook his head, and then looked around, "Where's Hope?"

She glanced about, "They're shooting hoops. No thanks."

"Where to next?" He wasn't much for basketball, so he agreed with her.

Her eyes lit up, "Grab your tickets and follow me!"

"Great idea, MG," Hope said, shooting another ball. "I hadn't seen her smile all week."

MG shrugged, smiling slyly, "To be honest, I wanted to come too."

"Me too," she laughed.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask," he said. "Where's Josie?"

"I guess at school?" she said.

"No, I mean… why isn't she here?" he asked. "With us? With _Lizzie_?"

"I… don't know," she realized what he was saying. Lizzie always brought Josie along for the important things, and while Josie didn't have to come with Lizzie to every single appointment, it was strange the two of them had gone with her but Josie had not. "Lizzie didn't mention her at all. Maybe she was busy?"

"Maybe?" MG said before he shot the next hoop.

Hope hoped that wasn't the case but figured tonight wasn't the time to ask Lizzie about it. Lizzie needed tonight. She was having a good day. And no matter how many times Lizzie assured them she was okay with increasing her medication, Hope knew her friend was worried how it would affect her once she started taking it.

She tried everything to convince Lizzie to wait, to see if things got better or Ryan found a solution. But it was no use.

Lizzie could be stubborn when she wanted to.

"Pick up the big hammer," Lizzie instructed, pulling her own out from underneath the machine.

Clarke picked it up.

"When the things pop out of the holes, hit them," she said, loading a coin into the machine.

"Hit them," he nodded, pushing in his own coin. "Sounds like your kind of game."

She wacked him in the side with the padded mallet. "Definitely."

The moles started popping out of the holes just then, so Lizzie hit it before it went back down. And on the game went.

Clarke's own popped up, and his started hitting the machine every which way.

Lizzie started laughing while trying to hit hers.

"Just hit the one that pops up!" she gasped around her laughter.

"They pop up at random, so if I hit at random, eventually I'll hit something," he reasoned as he kept hitting it.

"Oh my God, Shrek, it's not that serious," she laughed and hit the next one.

"What's a Shrek anyway?" he asked.

"A smelly ogre from the swamp who loves to bathe in mud," she explained.

He stopped hitting and looked at her, "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she smirked, still playing her game.

He looked down at the mole that just popped up, then he wacked _her_ in the side with the mallet.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, then wacked him back.

He smirked and hit her again.

To the little girl _impatiently_ waiting her turn behind them, the two much older kids—or adult in the guy's case—looked absolutely ridiculous as they kept hitting each other instead of the game.

"Are you _done_ yet?" the little girl spoke up sassily, hands on her hips.

The two turned around and looked down at the girl.

"Almost!" Lizzie said, then wacked Clarke in the head. "Now I am!"

She dropped the mallet and ran away laughing before he could get another hit in.

The little girl looked expectantly at Clarke.

"Right," he put the mallet back where it was supposed to go and went to follow Lizzie, laughing to himself when he looked back at the kid who was still frowning at him.

"Darn it, this bozo got in front of me," Hope muttered, gripping her controller and trying to maneuver around.

"I'm at the front of the pack," MG said happily, watching the screen for any trouble as his bike maintained its lead.

"I'm gonna get around it!" Hope exclaimed, pushing forward… then promptly lost control, careening off to the side. "Ugh!"

MG did a little dance in his seat as his bike crossed the finish line.

"I wonder what the other two are up to," Hope said, looking around for them.

"She's probably ready to kill you," he said. "Leaving her with _Clarke_ for that long?"

"You're right," she said, standing up and laughing. "Let's go save them."

When they found them though, Hope couldn't help but smile.

They were playing a two-seater fighter pilot game, one where they had to work together to fly across a war-torn sky.

"One's on our tail!" Clarke warned Lizzie who was in control of the rear weapons while he helmed the front ones.

"Got it!" she said, pressing the button that unleashed rapid fire bullets at the enemy.

"He doesn't play much, does he?" MG remarked to Hope, seeing how determined Clarke seemed to win.

"Nope," she smiled. "He seems to like it though, doesn't he?"

Visions of game consoles overcrowding their living room ran through her mind. She groaned inwardly but admitted she wouldn't mind seeing him being loose like this again. He was always so focused on his job and the next mission. Being with her was the only other thing in is life. That, and food, of course.

 _Speaking of…_ She looked at the time. _Any minute now_.

The last enemy destroyer plane blew up in a gigantic fiery explosion and Clarke released the controls, raising his arms in victory.

"You _finally_ won something," Lizzie said, letting go of her controller. "Took you long enough." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Of course, you had help."

Clarke ignored her and stood up, reaching out for Hope as soon as he saw her.

Hope walked into his arms, "Having fun?"

"Yeah, but I'm starving," he said.

 _Right on time,_ she smiled to herself. "We're at the arcade, so we gotta get the full arcade experience."

"Meaning?" he asked.

"Oh, you know," MG said, motioning for them to follow him. "Cheap pizza that tastes like cardboard. And fries."

Clarke wrinkled his nose.

"If you're lucky, the hot dogs might not resemble rubber," Lizzie teased Clarke, following MG.

"They're kidding, right," he said to Hope.

"The soft pretzels aren't that bad?" she offered, grinning.

He groaned.

As they all settled into a cramped booth in the dining area with their food—and Ryan finally pulled his blazer off—Hope couldn't help but remember her first time at an arcade.

Growing up, she was never allowed in busy popular places because her mother was on constant guard as she protected their family and sought to find cures for them all.

That all changed once she was enrolled at the Salvatore Boarding School.

Her family members were safe and alive—albeit incapable of spending time with Hope in person due to The Hollow—and her mother was able to relax her guard.

Hope was in for a bit of a culture shock once she started school. Always home schooled before, she now socialized with other children, other supernaturals, and life was very different. Not living with her mother anymore was the biggest change.

But Mom visited as often as she could. The first couple months, Mom came every weekend. It probably made Hope's home sickness even worse, but she was too happy to see her to think it might be better for Mom to stay away for a while.

One time, she remembered some of her classmates talking about going to something called an arcade. She was curious, so the next time Mom came to town, she asked her.

Hayley's face melted into a sly grin before she promptly took Hope into town to show her exactly what an arcade was.

They spent the entire day playing _every_ single game. She even won a 'claw' toy, but only because she used her magic when no one else was looking. No one except her mother, of course. Hayley gave her a look but let her keep the toy _just_ this once considering how much money she had lost to the dreaded claw over the years but made her promise not to do it again. The Salvatore School had rules after all. She swore to never do it again, and they continued having fun. By the end of the day, using the tickets they won, they left wearing gaudy plastic rings, necklaces, tiaras, and carrying wands declaring themselves fairy princesses for the day.

She lost that claw toy in her room fire too.

Sometimes she really missed her mom.

* * *

"I'm losing so many cool points just walking in here," Lizzie said, looking around the comic book store with a disgusted face.

"Think of all the sexy nerdy points you just gained though," MG said.

"Besides, if its points you're worried about, you lost them all with that ensemble," Clarke smirked.

"Hey!" Lizzie and Hope said, turning in unison to frown at him. They moved so quickly their plastic crowns tilted on their heads.

"You're just jealous you didn't think to get one," Lizzie replied, adjusting her crown.

"I thought about it, but decided it would clash with my lapel pin," he said.

"He jokes!"

"The newest Punisher should be here," MG said, ignoring them all as he looked around. "And the old Flash Gordon the owner found for me should be at the front." One of the perks of reconciling with his mother meant his allowance was reinstated. His comic book collection was reaping the benefits.

"Let's hurry then," Lizzie clutched his arm and dragged him along. "Quick, before someone sees me."

"Come with me," Clarke murmured, pulling Hope into his side, away from the other two and from the front of the shop.

She looked up at him, laughing softly, "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too," he said, tracing the line of her jaw gently.

Shivering at his touch, she suddenly very much wished she was alone with him.

"You don't usually come early," she said.

"Job in town," he answered, eyes darkening as he settled his thumb against her bottom lip, stroking it gently.

"Wendy?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'll tell you later," he murmured, then leaned down to kiss her, his lips taking the place of his thumb as he ran it to the corner of her mouth, wanting to keep touching her even as he kissed her.

She ran her hands up the lapels of his jacket, latching on to tug him closer as she stretched on tiptoe to kiss him more fully.

Allowing it only for a few moments, she pulled away, blushing, "Let's look around?"

"You have a secret comic book fetish I don't know about?" he asked.

"No," she snickered. "That's MG's particular brand of nerd."

She took his hand and walked to the back of the store in the opposite direction MG and Lizzie went—where it was empty.

"Ah," he said. "This is your attempt to get me alone away from prying eyes." He turned to face the front of the store, pulling her against his front.

"Maybe," she teased, smiling up at him.

He knew how much she didn't like public displays of affection, and he respected that though he had no problem touching her any time or all the time.

"No one's around now," he pointed out.

She didn't bother replying, just lifted her arms around his neck to drag him down to her lips again.

He wrapped his hands around her waist, holding her firmly in place. His tongue teased her bottom lip until she opened her mouth and allowed him inside.

He lost track of time as he explored the sweet taste of her, loving the way she moaned when he rubbed his tongue against hers. He knew her need for him probably skyrocketed with that, but there was no way they would get further that night, not when it was a school night and she had to go back soon. Also, they were in public.

As much as he was enjoying her, a strange disquieting awareness came over him, and he found himself pulling back slightly to kiss along her jaw to her ear. He opened his eyes to glance around at the same time and saw that feeling wasn't for naught.

His brother was standing there, clearly shocked and angry at having stumbled upon them.

Clarke couldn't help but remember being in a similar position before. A long time ago, before he ever thought about making Hope his, he witnessed Hope and Landon locked in much the same position.

How the tables had turned.

The devilish part of him kept his mouth in place for a moment longer than he should have, his eyes practically laughing, but the part that knew she wouldn't appreciate it made him pull back.

"Ryan?" she asked breathlessly.

"We've got company," he nodded.

She turned around, "Oh. Landon. Hi." She shifted awkwardly, unsure what to do.

Clarke helped her with that by pulling her back against him, firmly staking his claim, and looking at his brother expectantly.

"What are you, um, doing here?" Hope said, sheepishly pushing a strand of hair back over her ear.

"It's a comic book store," Landon bit out. He was long past the point of acting awkward around her or _them_. His devastation, hurt, and uncertainty had been replaced by his anger, and he was too angry to act like he shouldn't be anywhere except where he _was_. He had been staying out of town but needed to get away on his own. He figured he would keep to himself and go to one of his favorite stores—a place where he could get lost in the stories and forget about his problems for a while. Finding one of his problems standing smack dab in front of him was _not_ helping. "Where you shop for comic books. Not whatever the hell you were doing."

"If you need an instruction manual to explain _that_ ," Clarke said, "a comic book store is the last place you should be, baby brother."

"Don't call me that," Landon glared at him.

"Ryan," Hope found his hand where it was wrapped around her waist. "Come on." She tried to pull him away.

"You know, I have to see you because of school and because of Raf, but not _here_ ," Landon said to her, his anger glowing hotter because of Clarke's mocking face. The asshole was getting a kick out of it. He was enjoying rubbing Hope being with him in his face. Landon was tired of trying to be the good guy and giving Clarke the benefit of the doubt for saving him and Seylah. "You shouldn't be _here_."

"She can go where she wants," Clarke said, his amusement clear.

"Ryan," she tried pulling him away again. "Let's go."

He gave in and followed her, but he smirked at Landon the entire time.

"Let's find Lizzie and MG and get out of here," she said over her shoulder.

"I'm missing something," Clarke said. "He isn't usually so confrontational."

"It's a long story," she said. "I'll tell you later."

He let her put him off, but he was really curious. Last he heard, Landon barely spoke to Hope. Now that he was talking to her like _that_ , Clarke wanted to know what changed. Or maybe his baby brother just couldn't control his jealousy anymore and was taking it out on her. It made any residual uncertainty he had about Hope's past relationship with Landon disappear. He was _very_ okay with that.

"Are you guys done?" Hope asked, finding her friends at the other end of the store.

"Almost," Lizzie said with a sigh. "Once he started, he couldn't stop."

"We'll meet you outside," Hope said. "You're still my ride back, so don't leave without me."

"Right," Lizzie nodded.

Clarke followed her and led her across the shopping center's parking lot to the company vehicle he used to drive the couple hours it took to reach Caroline's house.

"Turn the heat on," she insisted as she jumped in the passenger side.

"We _could_ go home…" he suggested, starting the car. "Message your roommate."

"I have class in the morning," she reminded him but didn't mind when he pulled her to sit against his side. She liked that there wasn't a center console.

"Blow it off," he wrapped an arm around her.

"I can't," she shook her head. "But I only have classes 'til one. I can meet you early?"

"Fine," he sighed.

"We can go to the falls?" she said. "We haven't been since…" She couldn't remember.

"Before Christmas," he supplied. "Hiking to the falls tomorrow. It's a date."

"Now, since we're away from prying eyes and ex-boyfriends, maybe we can take up where we left off?" she looked up at him hopefully.

"Always," he said, leaning down to lose himself in the taste of her again.

* * *

_Honk!_

Lizzie grinned and laid on the horn again.

_Honk, Honk, Hooooonk!_

"Okay, I think they get the point," MG said, shaking his head with a smile.

Lizzie saw Hope and Clarke get out of his vehicle and start toward the Camaro.

"Just giving them an added incentive to _move it_ ," she said.

They stopped before they reached the car though, and she could tell they were kissing again.

In the middle of the damn parking lot.

"Oh, come _on,_ " she grumbled. "Clearly, this could take a while."

"Aren't they just saying goodbye?" MG said, preparing to open the door so he could crawl into the back.

"Well, much like _speaking_ they're using their tongues, so…?"

"Ugh."

"Sickening, isn't it?" she said with distaste.

Though, honestly, she would love to have that. From everything she knew about Hope's relationship with Clarke, he always put her first. Practically every single waking thought he had revolved around her. Clarke may be insufferable, but he treated Hope like gold.

And Hope was happier than Lizzie had _ever_ seen her. Heck, Hope was happier than she had ever seen _anyone_ in a relationship.

Lizzie wondered what it would be like to be happy like that. When would her prince come along?

Not that Clarke was a prince.

There was that whole ogre and mud thing.

She rolled down her window slightly and shouted, "Alright, Shrek! She turns into a pumpkin at ten o'clock!"

 _Finally_ , she could see Hope move away from Clarke and head towards the car door. MG got out and crawled into the back.

"Okay!" Hope said breathlessly, sitting down and slamming the door shut. "Let's go!"

"Took you long enough," Lizzie grumbled, putting the car into drive and pulling away before Clarke could even get back to his vehicle.

Hope blushed, "We haven't seen each other all week. Making up for… lost time?"

"Yes, please give me _more_ details about the sex lives of Hope and Clarke—said no one _ever_ ," Lizzie said sarcastically, stopping at a red light.

"You know, he does this thing with his ton—"

" _Hope Andrea Mikaelson!_ " Lizzie interrupted her. "Stop it forever!"

"Yes, please, heh… heh," MG said from the backseat, laughing _very_ awkwardly.

"Sorry!" Hope said, blushing even more because she somehow forgot MG was in the car when she started sharing.

"Don't say another word," Lizzie warned, pushing the accelerator harder. "Some things can't be unheard."

"Sor—"

"Ah!" Lizzie held up a finger, shushing her.

Hope grinned and looked away.

She couldn't wait to see Ryan tomorrow.

* * *

"Can you help?" Clarke asked, taking the time to watch the stars in the night sky. He knew the constellations and usually had no problem finding them on a clear night.

"She cannot escape her fate."

"What is her fate?" he asked, looking at his mother. "If she gets worse, she won't survive. Is that to be her fate?"

When she did not respond, he pressed his lips together in anger. Of course, someone's fate is what their future held. And, as she said before, she wasn't an oracle. She may not know the future, but she knew the _now_. If she would explain what was happening, it might be easier to figure out how to fix it.

"Did unlinking the twin bond from the seal cause this?" he asked. "Or is it her brain chemistry? Tell me _some_ thing."

"Her coven tapped into powers they never should have, harnessing and wielding it for their own personal gain," she replied. "The cosmos themselves were insulted thus."

He wanted to yell, but he refused to act like a petulant child in front of her. He should be used to it by now, her never giving a straight answer, yet it still surprised him this time.

" _You_ called her an adoptive child of earth," he said. "You claimed her as your own. Why are you refusing to help her if she's like a daughter to you?"

"Her brother is doing a well enough job on his own."

First Hope, now his mother—would everyone stop calling Lizzie his sister? It wasn't as preposterous as giving Josie that mantel, but it still wasn't true. He had one sibling, and that one was more than enough. He didn't even _like_ that one.

"She's _not_ —," he shook his head in frustration. "She saved my life, and I saved hers, then she tried to save mine again. I'm only returning the favor."

"You would not save her otherwise?" she asked.

He continued to stare at the stars, wondering why she had chosen this particular landscape for his dream since it was the furthest thing from his mind.

He already knew the answer to her question.

His words were only his excuse.

The truth was he already considered her family. He had known since his reaction to the Jack situation. He didn't know how it happened. Perhaps it was due to Hope caring about her. But if that were true, wouldn't he feel the same way for every person in Hope's heart?

No, for whatever reason, he cared about Lizzie Saltzman all on his own.

She had grown on him somehow with her sarcastic, unapologetic, unflinching, honest self. She never held anything back which meant she had accomplished something few people ever had.

She gained his trust.

Maybe there was some truth to the sister thing after all.

Whatever she was to him, sister or not, she was family and no matter what, he couldn't lose her.

Life was so much easier when his own survival was the only one that mattered.

"I would," he finally answered.

"I know," she said. "I also know…she won't be the only one in need of saving."

* * *

Clarke jerked awake, looking around.

The stars and his mother were gone, and he was once more alone in the big empty bed he shared with Hope.

His mother's final words weighed down on him. She had finally told him something, but it gave him more questions than answers. Who _else_ would be in need of saving?

Knowing there were only two people he really cared about, was his mother warning him that Hope was in trouble too? But that wasn't possible. Hope was fine.

No, his mother would have told him if that were true. She knew how important Hope was to him. She was the one who told him that Hope was _meant_ for him. His mother didn't tell him much, but he felt certain she wouldn't keep information like that from him. Right?

Groaning, he sat up and stuffed one of Hope's pillows behind his back so he could be comfortable while sitting in bed. Alone. Again. One day he would have the pleasure of waking up every morning with Hope by his side.

He reached for his headset and tablet, dialing in to see what he missed through the night.

"Status report?"

"Josie Saltzman is on the move," came the instant reply. "Joining Alyssa Chang for a morning jog again. We're maintaining surveillance at a distance."

Which meant one of the agents was jogging along too.

He checked the time.

If he tossed on some sweats, he could join in.

He was getting tired of the hunt for Wendy and after the suspicious box incident he was more certain than ever Josie was involved. He just needed to find something, _one_ clue, to lead him to the target. And he especially needed to do it before Josie's involvement got someone else hurt much worse than she already did her own mother.

Before he left, he made one more call.

"Veronica. Triple the number of researchers. I need a spell, and I needed it yesterday."

If his mother thought he was doing a good enough job already, then he had to be on the right track to helping Lizzie.

Right?

* * *

Wendy climbed into a back window of the Mikaelson mansion, panting slightly.

Today was a close one.

If it weren't for pesky things like _food_ , Wendy would tell the girls not to even bother trying to set up drop offs.

But while the Mikaelson mansion provided water and shelter, there were still some basic necessities it was lacking. No surprise there, especially since vampires originally resided within the luxurious walls. Why would there be random non-perishables floating around when the usual tenants survived on blood?

What she really needed was someone to hurry up and make contact. She knew the device she stole from that big corporation out west would fetch a pretty penny on the dark web. She had stumbled into what most people would call a "bad crowd" at her new school.

When she had to go on the run, she left all her contacts behind, not knowing who was pursuing her and knowing she needed help she could trust. The burner phone from the girls had been a godsend. She was able to contact a hacker 'friend' she made named Kyle who was trying to find her a buyer. Once he did, she could set up the exchange and then _really_ disappear.

Jade didn't know her true intent. She and her girlfriend thought they were helping her until they could piece together a plan for her to disappear for good.

Wendy knew if Jade knew about the device, she would want to know what it was and why someone on the dark web would want it so badly they would pay enough for Wendy to disappear comfortably for years.

Now that Jade had her humanity turned back on, there was no way she would let Wendy get away with her plan. Thus, she didn't tell her friend the full truth.

Once she found a buyer, setting up a meeting would be the tricky part. With the town practically crawling with Triad agents—as today's drop off proved—she would need to find a way to get them to go _away_ so she could conduct her business which meant she just had to tell Jade and little Josie Saltzman what she needed. Josie especially didn't ask questions, practically bending over backwards to help in any way she could. Wendy wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Josie wanted to help her, Wendy would take it.

Hopefully, if all went well, she could be out of town in a week or two. She would just need to stay off of Triad's radar until then.

They needed to find a better way to get her supplies though. Especially since the latest drop off place couldn't be used again.

Sure, Josie had made note of one area on her jogging route that was in a forest heavy area where no one could follow without being obvious, and sure Josie had allowed Alyssa to get ahead of her so she could drop the bag without the witch noticing. But Josie could only convincingly wear a fanny pack with her ensemble, which meant it only held so much squished into a bag inside of the pack.

Beggars couldn't be choosers, but Wendy _really_ wanted a burger or something hot.

Retrieving the bag should've been easy, but there were more people scouring the area than normal. She saw some with crystals. She wasn't sure what that meant, but since they were scanning the area looking _through_ the crystal, she decided to find a hiding place even though she was cloaked and stayed there until she didn't hear the telltale sound of people traipsing through the woods.

She nearly decided to leave a few dozen times, figuring if someone found her despite the cloaking spell she would take care of them with a ball of fire, but in the end she talked herself out of it.

Not because she didn't feel like killing anyone; but, because she would be confirming she was definitely in town.

Killing people wasn't really a problem for her. Killing those people who hurt and ridiculed her and her friends ten years ago was a knee jerk reaction that she felt bad about afterward. She hadn't meant to do it. But since she was imprisoned for it, she didn't care anymore. Spending years killing her friends for sport after that mellowed her even more. So, when she was orchestrating her grand theft, she had no qualms about relieving a few security guards of their lives.

Something else she purposefully didn't tell Jade.

* * *

"Bad morning?" Hope asked, noting his brooding.

"Didn't go as hoped," Clarke said, frowning at the road as he drove.

Josie went for her jog and went back to school, and nothing happened except he noted an area on the route where no one could monitor her. She had already passed by before he joined his team, but going over the route later he immediately made them all search the area. _Nothing_.

"Wendy?" she asked.

"She's here," he said, gripping the steering wheel. "Josie and Jade are helping her. I just can't prove it."

"How do you know then?" she asked.

"I just do," he said.

"Okay," she raised her eyebrows.

He shook his head, "We'll catch her. Eventually."

She watched him, noticing he seemed stressed. Was the Wendy situation really bothering him _that_ much? If so, it was a good thing they were going for a hike. Fresh air and exercise always helped clear her mind and rejuvenated her. Hopefully it would do the same for him.

It did.

Fifteen minutes into their trek after they parked and started along a trail, she could see the tension already leaving his face and shoulders.

"I love it out here," she said, hoping to further take his mind off the Wendy situation. "I can't wait for spring. By then the falls will finally be warm enough for us to go into."

Every time she came here with him, it was too cold. The spring the falls emptied into, she really wanted to swim with him there. And it had nothing to do with wanting to see him in swim trunks. Nothing at all.

"You can warm the earth," he reminded her. "You can't warm the water too?"

She shook her head, "Every time I try, it's too much and I boil it. I'd rather not cook us. Or any fish living in there."

"Control issues?"

She nodded, "I've been working on bigger spells to test the bounds of my magic like you said. It's just made the simple ones harder too control. I put too much magic into it, I guess. I'm working on it."

They walked together in silence for a few minutes.

Putting aside his thoughts about Wendy and work to focus on Hope while they hiked did wonders for his mood, but eventually his worries about Lizzie and that warning from his mother broke through.

"Lizzie seemed okay last night," he remarked.

"She was having a good day," she said. "But she also saw her therapist. She insisted on upping her medication. She doesn't think it's from the darkness. She thinks it's just her."

"I disagree," he said. While his mother hadn't said for sure either way, if Lizzie required saving he was positive that meant something more serious was happening than Lizzie's mental health deteriorating on its own.

"So do I," she sighed. "I'm glad she's spending more time with MG again though. I think she really does like him as more than friends. I don't know why she keeps denying it."

"He likes her though," he stated. He remembered them together the week of Thanksgiving. At the time, he didn't really care to focus on anyone other than Hope, but they did basically act like they were together. He remembered them dancing together on the streets of New Orleans too.

"Oh, yeah, definitely," she said with a laugh, stepping over a root growing out of the ground. "He's been in love with her since he first set foot at school. He saw what no one else could see I guess, not even _me_ —especially since she considered me the devil incarnate for so long."

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing. She just thought I did," she shrugged. "We cleared that all up. Just took a few years."

"Obviously, since you're close now."

"Yeah. I never really had friends growing up. Not girlfriends anyway," she continued. "I mostly remember Mom and Grandma Mary. When I started at school, Mom wanted me to make friends but it was hard because I had to hide who I really was."

He gave her a questioning look.

"Instead of Mikaelson, I went by Marshall," she told him. "It was supposed to protect me, but it mostly just made me withdrawal. How could I make friends with anyone if I couldn't tell them the truth about who I really was?"

"You can't," he said. "I know."

It was her turn to question him with a look.

"I had to live it for eight hundred years," he said.

"You couldn't tell anyone your truth either," she realized. "I went seventeen years before I made friends outside of my family, but you went eight hundred."

"I didn't have a family either," he said.

"Okay, you win," she said.

He smiled slightly, "It's not a contest. I just understand what you went through."

"Look at you now," she said, returning his smile. "You've got me, and you've got Lizzie."

He snorted.

"We'll work on more," she said. "You need at _least_ one guy friend."

"Ha."

"Every guy needs at least one bromance in their lives," she said

"I've lived this long without one," he said. "Think I'm good."

"Still…"

"All I need is you," he winked.

"There is _so_ much more to you than just me," she laughed at his sappy words.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like your powers for one," she replied.

"I control the entrance to a hell dimension," he said. "Doesn't say much."

"Your _new_ powers," she said. "You can move the earth. Because your mother _is_ earth. Have you even practiced?"

"No."

"Why not?" she asked. "You were adamant about me testing my powers, but you're not even trying out your own?"

"She warned me about using them," he said. "They can cause a lot of harm." He had only just found his mother. He wasn't going to be a disappointment to her like he was to his father.

"I imagine so," she said. "I mean, it's the _earth_. Which is why learning to control it is a good idea. You wouldn't want to accidentally trigger some cataclysmic event of epic proportion, would you?"

"I've only used them _once_ ," he said. "Seems pretty easy to avoid."

"You did that when you ran out of other options," she said. "As a last resort. What happens when you find yourself in the same situation again?"

"I'll consider practicing," he said. She had a point, but still…

"Good," she said as they made it to the end of the trail and walked out into an open field area that granted them a perfect view of the falls.

Something about being in nature always made her feel content but a little restless.

"You want to go for a run, don't you?" he said, seeing her face.

"It's been a while," she said, yearning for just that.

"Go ahead," he said, leading her to a flat area and dropping his backpack, pulling out the blanket he intended to spread on the ground for them to rest on.

He glanced at her.

"Turn around," she said, dropping her backpack next to his and kicking off her shoes.

"Serious?" he smirked.

"You're right, I should go into the woods," she said.

He laughed, "I've already seen everything."

"So?" she said, looking at the tree line.

He shook his head in exasperation, "I won't look."

Hearing her walk away, he figured she decided to shift in the woods. Being out in the open while changing probably wasn't a good idea anyway.

Moments later, he heard soft thumps and looked up in time to see her racing across the field, her white fur fluttering in the cool breeze.

Settling onto the blanket, he watched her run. He wished he could run with her. He remembered how carefree and happy she was as a wolf. All her problems drifted away as she gave into pure animal instinct and became one with nature.

He didn't miss the breaking of the bones part, but he missed all the rest. He was so close to her back then, being able to read her thoughts. He wished he could be inside her again, just for a little while, so he could get caught up. Not that she didn't tell him her thoughts already, but he missed feeling the emotion behind the thoughts.

She raced back across the field, chasing after a rabbit she could easily overtake. Clearly she was having fun playing with the thing. Eventually she stopped and went to investigate a small area filled with flowers. She sniffed at them.

He loved her. Every single bit of her. Even her flower sniffing. He especially loved the way she loved him. Not that anyone had ever done so before, but he felt like it was true and right. It was everything he was missing all of his life.

She bounced across the flower bed and raced across the field again. Moments later, he heard a loud howl through the trees before she ran back.

Coming to a stop in front of him, she stared, tilting her head.

"Yeah?" he asked.

She kneeled forward on her haunches, with her bottom in the air, tail wagging in the wind.

"Cute," he laughed.

Staring at him, she shifted one of her front paws in the dirt. She tilted her head toward it.

He looked down, trying to understand, and he finally got it.

"You want me to practice," he stated.

Whining slightly, she stood up on all four legs and spun around in a circle.

He sighed.

Maybe something small, like he did before.

Concentrating, he looked at a patch of ground a few feet away. He tried telling the ground to move in his head.

It didn't work.

 _Right_. The last time he did this, a massive hybrid in wolf form was running straight for him about to tear him apart.

Maybe fear would work. What was something he was afraid of?

 _Losing Hope_.

He concentrated again and used the sudden fear flaring inside of him to fuel his command.

Before he could command it though, the earth moved on its own.

 _Of course_. Last time he hadn't issued a command because he didn't know what he could do. His powers reacted through increased fear. Did it react to anything else? Maybe it was just any emotions?

Anger was an emotion he was quite familiar with, so he decided to focus on that one while looking at another area next to the other dirt mound.

Again, the ground moved up, a dirt pillar in the air.

Well, at least he was consistent with that move.

Hope walked around the dirt mounds, peering up at them curiously.

Then she prodded at the ground again, looking at him.

"Put them down?" he guessed that's what she wanted.

He focused and down they went.

Once the ground was back in place, she put a paw on top of one of the spots and seemed to push on it.

" _Further_ down," he said.

He wasn't sure how that was supposed to work, but he tried.

Instead of the dirt going down like a column pushing into the earth, the results were quite different.

A cracking sound made Hope pounce away just in time.

The ground split open, causing a jagged line to race across the field.

He cursed and quickly worked to undo it.

There was no problem summoning the fear needed since he was quite afraid of his mother's reaction.

Focusing quickly, he breathed a sigh of relief as the cracked earth sewed its way back together like nothing had ever happened.

"Not what I expected," he said, breathing out.

She came over and rested her snout on his knee, eyes staring up at him in what appeared to be a silent apology.

He reached out and rested his hand on the top of her head.

She leaned into the touch before walking around to settle next to him pressed against his side.

Unable to help himself, he put an arm around her. Having never seen her up close in her wolf form, her fur and her entire appearance fascinated him. He didn't think wolves could stand being close to others creatures without attacking. They were too restless and wild for that. But she rested next to him, completely trusting him.

Even in her wolf form, she knew exactly who he was.

Finally, she stood and left, heading to the trees behind him where she changed earlier.

Clearly she was ready to shift back.

"Sorry!" she called through the trees. "But you didn't know you could do that before."

"I didn't know your wolf would get that close to me either," he smirked. "For next time, how do you feel about belly rubs?"

She left the trees and walked over barefoot, eyeing him, "How about no? Careful, the wolf is still close to the surface."

Leaning back on the blanket, placing his arms behind his head as a cushion, he said, "Attack me then."

"You wish," she said, plopping down next to him with her socks and shoes. "I wanna go to the top of the falls. Come with me."

"You know, this is a nice spot," he said suggestively.

"Later," she said, tugging her socks on. "We have all afternoon and night."

"You're staying?" he sat up.

"Sorry, still have yoga," she corrected. "But at least 'til eleven?"

He waited until she reached for one of the shoes and grasped her hand, tugging her down with him.

She squealed, "Ryan!"

When she tried to pull back, he rolled with her and pinned her against the blanket, hovering over her. He didn't say anything, just stared into her eyes.

Catching her breath, she stared back. The love she saw in his gaze for her, she could look at it forever.

When his hand slipped under the bottom of her shirt and up to her stomach, she released an unexpected moan. Going for the stomach, one of her favorite places to be touched, was playing dirty. She would never get to the top of the falls if he kept it up.

"If you love it so much, I'm sure your wolf does too," he said knowingly.

"Oh my God," she pushed at him. "I'm never wolfing out around you again."

"Liar," he laughed, letting her go.

She finished pulling her shoes on, feeling incredibly flustered mostly because he was probably right.

Her wolf _would_ love it.

* * *

"What's with the crown?" Josie asked, seeing it tossed on her sister's desk.

"Oh, got it from the arcade last night," Lizzie said, looking at herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure if she liked the blue top with the gray skirt. Something about the blue was a little too _blue_. Not that it really mattered since she was only changing out of her uniform to do her Chemistry of Magic homework. Alternating outfits had _nothing_ to do with MG joining her either. She just wanted to look nice.

"Arcade?" Josie said, picking up the burner phone to check for messages from Wendy. "Who'd you go with?"

Wendy had sent a message.

**Drop off is compromised.**

_Huh_? She would have to call Wendy and find out what happened. If she couldn't use the morning jogs, they would just have to do it at Mystic Falls High again. But they all decided that was too obvious. Wendy couldn't keep showing up there.

"MG," Lizzie said. "Hope and Clarke."

Josie looked up quickly, "Come again? Clarke?"

"Yeah," Lizzie shrugged. "I had an appointment with Doctor Stevenson. MG and Hope tagged along. MG suggested the arcade after. Clarke called Hope so she invited him along."

"It's not your usual week to see Doctor Stevenson," Josie noted.

"I know," Lizzie went to her closet for a different top. "Do you think this one would look better?" She held out a shirt in a lighter blue.

"You always look good in blue," Josie replied distractedly, still focused on the part about Doctor Stevenson. "What's wrong? Why did you see your therapist a week early?"

"To increase my medication," Lizzie replied from inside her closet where she took off one shirt and pulled the other on.

"And you were going to tell me about this when?" Josie asked.

"Now, I guess?" Lizzie said, smoothing the material down.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Josie said. "I could've gone with you."

"You didn't need to," Lizzie said, walking back to the front of the mirror. "Three meddling worry worts are enough. I didn't want to worry you too."

"You're my sister, it's my job to worry about you," Josie said.

"Everything is fine," Lizzie insisted, turning to focus completely on Josie for the first time since the beginning of their conversation. "Just need to get my dosage right."

Something didn't sit right with Josie. If that was all it was, why had Hope _and_ MG gone along with her? And why did it sound like Clarke was worried about her too? Clarke never cared about anyone but himself and Hope.

"There's something you're not telling me," Josie said.

Lizzie looked heavenward, "Hope thinks I'm getting worse because we dissolved the link to the seal."

" _Is_ that what's happening?" Josie asked, suddenly worried too.

" _No_ ," Lizzie said in frustration.

"But what if—"

" _If_ it is, Ryan's got all of Triad working on it," Lizzie huffed, turning away. "But it's not. My mind is just a fractured mess. That's all."

 _There's that name again_ , Josie thought darkly. _Ryan_.

"You called him Ryan again," she couldn't help saying.

"Clarke, Ryan, so what?" Lizzie said, reaching for her textbook. "It's his name."

"I didn't know you liked him," Josie said.

"I didn't say that," Lizzie corrected her. "He's just…not that bad."

"Right…" Josie trailed off. She couldn't believe it. Clarke had managed to weasel his way past Lizzie's walls too.

"I gotta meet MG," Lizzie said. "Talk later?"

"Maybe we could hang this weekend?" Josie asked. "We haven't really done that, just you and me, for a while?"

"Sunday, for sure," Lizzie said, on her way out.

Josie sat down on her bed, frowning.

She felt like she was drifting further and further away from Lizzie, and she _really_ didn't like it.

* * *

Hope watched him cooking dinner, smiling to herself.

Yesterday they stayed in that clearing near the falls for a couple more hours, cuddling and talking after they hiked to the top of the falls and back down.

She finally told him that she didn't want to work for Triad. There was no cause for her to worry, as he already figured that out after her proclamation of the future last weekend. He created his own little fantasy in his head, but he ultimately wanted her to do what made _her_ happy.

"I know," he had said. "I assumed… I just want to wake up next to you every day."

"I want that too. And I'll go anywhere you go. But Triad is _yours_. We can both do our own things and still be together."

Miraculously, that was the end of it. He rarely argued with her anymore unless it was for her own protection. Part of her was grateful for it, but part of her worried that it wasn't good for him to give up on things he wanted just to make her happy. She knew he didn't have any experience in relationships and she didn't want to take advantage of that. Relationships should be a give and take thing for _both_ of them. She wanted him to be happy too.

She may not want to work for Triad, but she found a happy medium for them where they could still be together. She didn't give up what she wanted to make him happy, but he didn't either. Ultimately, he wanted her to work for Triad so she would be with him all the time. She resolved to always try to do that for him, to make sure he was just as happy as he made her.

Speaking of… she was pretty sure she made him _very_ happy last night before she had to go back to school.

Not that she hadn't benefited from that herself.

She smirked when he reached to open the drawer that should have the spatulas and serving spoons.

They were all mysteriously missing.

" _Hope_ ," Clarke sighed. "Where are they?" He reached for the drawer with the other utensils, deciding to use a regular spoon.

Those were missing too.

He closed the drawer and turned around.

"What'll it take to get 'em back?" he crossed his arms.

"Nothing," her eyes lit up with her teasing smile.

"Nothing?"

"If you wear _nothing_ … but this!" she pulled out a half apron that left _nothing_ to the imagination.

"You have the strangest kinks," he said, stalking around the table to her.

She didn't reply, just held it out to him.

He pretended to reach for it, but at the last second plucked his work bag off the counter behind her.

"What are you doing?"

He smirked at her and unzipped the bag.

Dragging out a crystal and a small container, he walked back to the serving spoon drawer. Opening it, he peered through the crystal into the drawer. Seeing that the spoons were exactly where they were supposed to be, just cloaked, he put the crystal down and sprinkled some herbs over them.

"Hey!" she said when some of the spoons materialized. "How'd you do that?"

"Magic," he winked at her, grabbed the spoon and stirred the contents of the pan before anything burned.

"That's cheating," she said laughing.

"Sue me," he shrugged.

Once dinner was ready and perfectly cooked as usual, they sat at the table she set and dug in.

"So, anything new with the Wendy case?" she asked. He was really frustrated about it yesterday; she was hoping there might be better news today.

"Not since yesterday," he said.

"What happens once you _do_ find her?" she asked. "I know other creatures can just go to Malivore, but she's a witch. Does Triad have facilities for that?"

"We need to find what she stole," he answered part of her question.

"And if you don't?" she asked.

"The corporation that hired us will take it from there," he replied.

"That sounds reassuring," she said. " _Does_ Triad have facilities for imprisoning witches?"

"Basically," he hedged.

"But I'm sure Triad has dealt with witches before," she said, confused. "What did you do then?"

"Most fights with witches don't end in the witch surrendering," he said.

"So what you're saying is…"

"It's usually either kill or be killed," he said. "But we need to capture her, so everyone is suited up with tranquilizers…"

She eyed him.

"…And regular guns in case things get out of hand."

"So even if you can't retrieve what she stole, there's a chance she could be killed… by Triad or by this private corporation?! And what happens when she returns what she stole? What will they or _you_ do with her then? Especially if you can't imprison her."

"I'm working on it."

"It sounds a lot like you just want back what she stole and then you want her dead. Even people who make mistakes deserve a second chance."

" _I_ don't want her dead," he said. "But she _has_ killed people."

"So have I," she deadpanned.

"And how did you feel afterwards?"

"Horrible," she said. "I took someone's life. Twice. Something I never wanted to do."

"She doesn't feel that way."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"Judging by the way she killed more than one security guard? It's not a stretch to assume she wouldn't have a problem killing anyone else who got in her way."

"So be _sure_ to lock her up and rehabilitate her," she insisted.

"She was locked up for ten years and it didn't rehabilitate her," he replied.

"That's because her warden was a psychopath!"

"I can't risk her killing more people," he said. "If we find her and she resists and we're unable to contain her, there's only one solution. And we have to take it. There _is_ a difference between self defense and murder."

"Ryan."

"Want to work for me then?" he replied slightly sarcastically. "You can contain her."

"Just so they can kill her after getting what they want? No thanks."

"That won't happen, especially if Triad can get the answers before we have to turn her over."

"Sounds like a whole lot of 'ifs'," she said, setting her fork down and leaning back.

"Gotta catch her first," he said. "Then I'll deal with her." Maybe he should stop giving Hope all the details about the mission. Some things weren't as cut and dry as she seemed to think they were.

Hope looked down at her plate before she said anything more.

Wendy may have started out as Triad's problem, but he just made it hers.

Everyone deserved a second chance.

Hope was going to find Wendy on her _own_ and give her that chance.

She would get Wendy to turn over a new leaf _and_ get whatever she stole and hand it over to Ryan.

See? Compromise. She could make him happy while making herself happy at the same time.

Picking her fork back up, she took another bite.

"This is really good," she said, changing the topic.

"Thanks," he nodded.

They ate in silence for a few moments before she remembered he never told her why he was in town on Thursday.

"You never said why you came home early," she said.

Shaking his head, he was amused that they still couldn't avoid this subject, "Wendy. Or rather, _Josie_. She had Jed leave a box at her mother's house in town. Pretty sure it was a trick to get our attention, and it nearly got people killed."

"Wendy showed up?" Hope asked.

"No, _Caroline_ did," he said. "The team made a mistake and they had to tranquilize _her_ before she attacked them. My presence stopped her from attacking further when she woke up."

"What did she have to say?" Her mind was reeling. It all sounded so crazy, and _Josie_ did that? And she did it to help Wendy in some way? But how? Why? "Why would Josie leaving a box there attract Triad?"

"We couldn't give Caroline any proof that Josie was involved, so she refuses to believe it," he said. "And we have most of the town being watched. Wendy can't pick up any supplies without risking giving herself away. A big box full of supplies would come in handy for our renegade witch."

 _Ohh_.

If he thought Josie was involved, she was inclined to believe him. And if Josie was involved, that meant she was helping Wendy stay hidden. Obviously Wendy wasn't staying at Caroline's house in town, but… Josie knew the security codes for both of the mansions the Salvatore school could use in the event they needed to evacuate. Their go-to was always the Lockwood Mansion, but in case it was needed she also knew one more. The Mikaelson Mansion.

 _Was it really that easy?_ she thought.

Only one way to find out.

* * *

When Hope came out of their private bath smelling of her various lotions and wearing pajamas, he wondered about tonight. Last night she had been all over him the minute they got back from the falls. Tonight, she wasn't as forthcoming.

Turning out the light on her side, she crawled into bed, neatly moving beneath the comforter and snuggled next to him. She stretched her arm across his chest but made no other move.

"Hope—"

"I love you," she whispered into his chest, closing her eyes.

"I love you too," he said, bending his head to kiss the top of hers.

They weren't having sex tonight.

Had he really made her that angry? He thought she let it go before dinner ended. They spent the rest of the evening with her painting and him drawing. She was lost in thought a lot. He figured she was focused on the canvas where she was depicting the falls in all its splendor. He really thought everything was fine. She was still in his arms though, so maybe she really just wasn't in the mood. Maybe she was tired?

He was beginning to wish Wendy Von Brandt had never made it back from the prison world. He was also thinking Josie Saltzman was proving to be more of a problem than he realized.

She never liked him. The entire time he and Hope worked with the twins and their parents to end the merge, Josie ignored him. He hadn't cared, just like he hadn't cared when he used her to help him with the trident. Hope told him Josie felt betrayed because Hope used Josie's darkness to get Clarke his body back. He knew Josie would never be counted as friend or ally, so he just ignored her like she ignored him.

Given the number of times they were forced to be in each other's company, he figured she got to the point she had the same regard for him. Obviously, he was wrong. He didn't know what Josie was up to but helping the person he was after seemed like Josie was using Wendy to fulfill some vendetta against him. Josie didn't even _know_ Wendy. He was very aware there was no time for them to become friends before the witch transferred schools. Jade must have asked Josie for help, and Josie was going above and beyond considering they hadn't found any trace of Wendy yet.

In fact, anyone looking at the surface of this case wouldn't even believe Wendy _was_ in town. Clarke knew better though. There was something going on and Josie was behind it. This wasn't his first case. He may not be a human but he had observed them for hundreds of years. Josie didn't send a random box to that house just to store some dress and shoes.

Shaking his head, he tried to clear his mind. He was tired of thinking about it. This case surrounded his home, and he hated that. The best part of his job meant he could leave it all _behind_ when he went home to Hope. Maybe it was better she didn't want to be involved with Triad. He was still disappointed at her decision, but he accepted it and understood that she wanted to do different things. As long as he got to spend his life with her, he would take anything he could get.

Glancing at her in the darkness, he held her closer and ran his hand slowly up and down her side. He loved holding her, touching her, caressing her. He loved just being with her.

His hand trailed down again and she jerked against him before pulling away.

"That tickles," she murmured.

"Really," he murmured back, reaching for her again.

She opened her eyes and saw the mischievous look on his face in the dim moonlight shining through the window. "Wait!"

He didn't wait; he reached until his hand made contact with her side and ran his fingers down the same way he already had.

"No, no," she squealed, trying to pull away, suddenly very much awake.

He tugged her back into his arms, laughing as she giggled against him.

"Okay, okay!" she said, trying to catch his hand.

He stopped trying to tickle her, but she turned in his arms and tried to tickle him too.

When he just looked at her, she huffed, "Oh, come _on_ , don't tell me you're not ticklish."

"Nope," he shook his head.

"Figures," she stopped trying.

He reached out again and she cringed back, but he rested his hand against the side of her face instead.

She smiled softly, feeling her heart melt just looking at him. No matter how much he annoyed her, she couldn't feel that way for long. Not anymore.

She reached out too and trailed the backs of her middle and forefinger down the side of his face. Leaning in, she kissed him softly, and then pulled back, struggling to see his face in the moonlight. They should put a nightlight in here.

"Goodnight," he whispered, figuring she would try to go back to sleep.

She rested her forehead against his, sighing because he always stirred up so many amazing things inside of her.

"Make love to me?" she whispered back.

He didn't need to be asked twice.

He raised his hands to capture her cheeks and pulled her back down into another soft kiss. He then moved to span his palms across her back, smoothing over the soft material of her top. She grasped hold of his shoulders, settling more fully on top of him with her legs splayed to either side of his.

Finding the bottom of her shirt, he tugged it all the way up her body and over her head. He tossed it away as she lay against him. The feel of her skin against his making him moan on contact.

He kissed her as his hands found her back again, tracing over her bare skin, enjoying the feel of her. He did that for a while, somehow knowing she didn't want fast or rough, or uncontrollable passion tonight. She wanted soft and gentle, savoring every touch, and he wanted it too.

Gradually he shifted them so she was lying on her back, but his mouth never left hers, not even as his hand found her breast. His fingertips moved over her, gliding gently, flicking his thumb against a hardening nipple. When he couldn't hold back any longer, he trailed soft kisses down her delicate jaw, to her neck, slowly making his way down to her breast. He shifted over her so his mouth could continue where his fingers left off.

He focused completely on that breast, not wanting to split his attention between the both of them. He was going to savor this one first.

Eventually he made his way to the other one. He let his fingers work their magic first, smiling at the low moans she made as she threaded her fingers through his hair. She started applying pressure to the back of his head, whispering, "Please" and he knew she wanted his mouth on her again.

Giving her what she wanted, she arched her back, pressing herself up against his tongue.

Her legs were moving more and more restlessly, and he knew all of his soft touches had built up her desire. She was ready for him.

Sliding back up her body, his mouth found hers again. Her tongue met his, rubbing against his gently as she was as in tune to the rhythm they were following that night as he was.

He reached down to slide a finger into her warmth, making sure she was as ready as he thought she was. He shivered in anticipation at the heat he met. Sliding his finger back out, he lay between her thighs and thrust gently inside of her. He groaned as the heat that greeted his finger now gripped him in her tight sheath.

She moaned into his mouth and clutched at him, silently begging for more.

Bracing himself on his elbows on either side of her, he began moving. He thrusts were slow but incessant, gentle but firm. No matter how she pressed against him or her body demanded otherwise, he kept up the same pace he had used all night, savoring each and every deep glide into her.

Towards the end, his tongue plunged into her mouth in time with his thrusts, and he completely lost himself in the feeling. His body moving of its own accord as his mind just basked in the pleasure.

When her orgasm began, he felt it in the way her body lost the rhythm and she pressed up against him, searching and yearning for that pivotal moment of bliss. He continued his movements, never once losing the smooth cadence he set, not until she finally reached that peak. Crying out against his mouth, her body shuttered as she came. Feeling the tightening around him, he allowed himself to finally give in to the ecstasy, thrusting deep and staying there as he spilled is love inside of her.

Lying against her, completely spent, he kissed her softly again.

They didn't need to say any words.

She asked him to make love to her.

And he did.


	11. This Game Is Intense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing but my own words.

Waking up in Ryan's arms always felt like heaven.

Lying facing away from him, he spooned against her back with one arm wrapped around her stomach. His gentle even breathing let her know he was still asleep. She gripped his arm, closed her eyes and relaxed in his embrace as she got lost in her thoughts.

She knew he would never ask why they almost didn't have sex last night, just like he would never ask why she changed her mind. He had never _once_ pushed her for sex. If she didn't want to, he was always okay with it. He was pretty great like that.

Of course, most of the time she did want to—she absolutely loved sex. She was glad she waited to do it for the first time just like she was glad she decided to take that step with _him_. She had never been more confident in her own body than when she was with him. He made her feel like she did everything right, that she was beautiful, perfect, cherished, and basically a goddess in his eyes.

Last night as she painted the falls, she wondered if maybe she _should_ tell him about her own plan for Wendy. Especially after what happened with Landon, she was very conscious of what a lack of trust could do to a relationship. She didn't want to lose Ryan's trust, but she also knew he was still a work in progress as far as the whole "no killing" went.

She was tired of death. While she often looked back on their impromptu road trip with as much fondness as he did for obvious reasons, she was also flooded with the knowledge of all that she had done for their survival during that time. She killed at least a hundred, though probably more. She nearly lost herself during that time, only finding herself again because of her mother. Life was precious, and she _had_ to do something to save Wendy. If that meant keeping things from Ryan for the time being, so be it.

By his own admission, life could be forfeit if they ran out of options.

The thought that she could do something to lose his trust had raced through her mind so much last night that by the time she crawled into bed sex was the furthest thing from her mind. She much preferred going to sleep so she could escape her thoughts for awhile.

Dozing off before being woken by his accidental tickles had helped a lot. By the time the tickle attack stopped, Wendy was the furthest thing from her mind. All she saw was him. All she wanted was him. And, as always, he loved and pleasured her so thoroughly that she forgot everything else.

She felt him stir behind her, so she nestled further against him, gently stroking the arm she was holding.

"Morning," he murmured.

"Morning," she returned softly.

He breathed into the top of her head, kissing it softly, aware that she woke before him.

"Did you talk to her?" she asked.

"No," he said. "I wasn't ready, not after…" He feared his mother's reaction to his using his powers on Friday, which is why he didn't go to sleep calling to her that night, _or_ last night.

"Tell me about them?" she asked. "Your powers."

"They're based in emotion," he said. "I used fear to move the mounds up. Anger cracked the ground. I suppose they could come in handy."

"But what about other emotions? Like excitement, love, sadness?" she said.

"Anger and fear are the ones I know best," he said.

"Well, now that you've gotten those out of the way, we should try the other ones," she said.

"Eventually…" He wasn't looking forward to trying again any time soon. "How long were you awake before me?"

"A little while," she said. "Just… thinking."

"About?"

That was her opportunity. She could tell him right this minute about her plan.

"How much I love waking up in your arms."

But she wouldn't.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Josie asked.

"Yes," Lizzie nodded from the passenger seat. "I'm grounding myself from driving until all evil side effects make their presence known."

"Works for me," Josie shrugged, putting the car in gear.

Sunday dawned bright and early. Lizzie declared it too beautiful a day to stay indoors. So, the Saltzman twins were going for a drive.

Josie didn't drive often, but they both learned at the same time. Usually Lizzie wouldn't let Josie drive while they were going anywhere together, it meant relinquishing too much control, but since Lizzie was worried about her medication she insisted Josie drive that day.

At least they were spending time together away from Hope, MG, and the entire Salvatore school. Josie felt like there was so much to catch up on, like it had been forever since she talked to the person who slept in the same room as her.

"Where're we going?" Josie asked.

"Just drive," Lizzie said flippantly. "See where the horizon takes us."

"Okay…"

Silence fell over the car as she drove. Josie wondered if Lizzie was still thinking about the possible side effects. She herself was wondering the very same thing she had been since Friday.

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting worse?" she asked.

"Did I stutter before? I told you I didn't want you to worry," Lizzie replied.

"That's never stopped you before," Josie pointed out. It was true. All their lives, Lizzie didn't think twice about telling her how she felt or what was going on with her. So why now?

"You seem happy with Jade, and with Mystic Falls High," Lizzie said the last with a slight look of distaste. "Are you?"

"Yes," Josie nodded. The Wendy drama aside, she actually _did_ like going to the other school, especially without her abilities. She felt like she was in a whole new world. She had given a lot of thought to her future since transferring schools, and she thought she knew what she might want to do. Jade, and thoughts of her biological mother, had all made her interested in studying medicine. She wasn't sure what field, but she thought that she very much wanted to help people.

"Happiness is hard to come by," Lizzie said. "You don't need a mentally unhinged sister forcing you to take care of her. Live your life."

"My happiness also depends on _your_ happiness," Josie said. "If you need help, I'm _always_ here for you."

"I didn't need help," Lizzie said. "I had help."

"Correction, _when_ you need help, I want to know," Josie said. "Every single time. Not after the fact."

"So demanding," Lizzie commented.

"I may have changed a lot over the past year," Josie explained. "But caring about you will _never_ change."

" _Okay_ , jeez, I'll let you know," Lizzie agreed.

"Good," Josie nodded. "Now, what have I missed?"

"Besides mood swings, irritability, and the desire to sleep all day?" Lizzie asked.

"Oh, I didn't miss that," Josie said, smiling slightly. "I felt every bit of it."

"My magic's been a big fat raspberry too," Lizzie said.

"I heard about Chemistry of Magic," Josie said. "A tornado?"

"Of _course_ the whole school talked about it," Lizzie looked heavenward. "But it actually started before that. When I tried to put Raf to sleep. That was the first time things didn't go as planned."

"But it worked every time after Raf, right?" Josie asked. "So maybe that had nothing to do with you, maybe that was about Raf? I mean, it's not like we've seen many hybrids, especially ones sired to Hope."

"True… I'll give you that," Lizzie said. "But the tornado is what happens when I can't control my mind when I'm doing the spell to control air."

"Then you need to keep practicing until you get it right," Josie said. "Why don't you do the spell _intending_ to make the tornado?"

Lizzie thought about it.

"You're right," she said. "If I deliberately do it, then I control it."

"That's two," Josie said. "What else is going on?"

"Since it's _clear_ I've been getting worse, Hope and Clarke are worried the darkness from the twin bond is affecting me," she said.

"You said that before, but you didn't think they were right?" Josie asked.

"I'm…scared, okay?" Lizzie finally admitted with a sigh.

"Scared?" Josie looked at her in surprise.

"If this is happening because of the darkness, it's only going to get worse, Jos," Lizzie said. "So I insisted increasing my medication would save me from insanity."

"They still don't agree, do they?"

"No," Lizzie said. "They're still looking for ways to help me. Or rather, Ryan is."

 _There's that name again_ , _ugh_.

"So, Hope has him trying to find a spell," Josie said.

"I guess," Lizzie shrugged. She hadn't really asked more about it because she was in denial.

"For not having magic, he _does_ seem to know more than he should," Josie said.

"I guess if it _is_ the darkness… then maybe having him in my corner isn't such a bad idea," Lizzie said, allowing for the possibility for the first time.

"Oh, Clarke is _always_ a bad idea," Josie said. "Even if he finds something, be careful."

"Warning me against him?" Lizzie said, surprised.

"You know our history."

"I also know he helped free us from the merge," Lizzie said.

"At what cost though?" Josie asked. "Seems you're finding that out now."

"We were warned," Lizzie said.

"Which is why I'm warning _you_ now," Josie said. "I don't trust Clarke, and neither should you."

"I don't know, Jos," Lizzie shook her head. "He's been… _concerned_ about me."

"Concerned?" Josie sputtered in disbelief.

"This isn't just Hope," Lizzie explained. "He _wants_ to help me. Just like with Jack, when he turned out to be a tool, Ryan suggested going for ice cream so I'd feel better."

"Ice cream and arcades and suddenly you trust someone you hated a few months ago?" Josie said in disbelief. "Someone who was responsible for turning MG?!"

"I tried to hate him because of that, but MG didn't hold it against him and neither did Hope," Lizzie said. "How long could _I_ hold it against him before it seemed pointless?"

Lizzie also vividly remembered a phone call she received from him the night he and Hope were attacked by sex demons. Despite everything, he knew Hope needed her. He fought to protect Hope from one of the worst things imaginable, and then he refused to leave her alone to clean up the mess. He trusted Lizzie to be there for Hope, just like _she_ trusted him to be there for Hope.

That night was one secret she had successfully kept from her sister, and it would remain hidden until Hope decided to tell anyone. Lizzie may be terrible at keeping secrets but that one definitely wasn't hers to tell.

"Always," Josie replied. "You could choose to hold it against him _always_." She knew _she_ could.

"Well I _choose_ not to," Lizzie said bluntly.

She suddenly didn't feel very good. She tried to breathe slowly at the tossing in her stomach. Then she hurriedly rolled down her window for some fresh air.

"Are you okay?" Josie asked.

Lizzie swallowed and tried to speak, "Pull… over."

Josie did so immediately.

Lizzie opened the door and got out gingerly, hoping that walking and breathing in fresh air would stop her sudden nausea.

"What do you need?" Josie asked, reaching out.

Lizzie shook her head, and then wished she hadn't. She wasn't having a panic attack. She felt like she was going to vomit and the act of talking or moving could make her breakfast come up at any moment. Why did Josie keep asking her questions?

She turned away and put a hand against the side of the car, breathing through it.

Eventually, miraculously, the feeling passed.

She tentatively stood up straight and was relieved when her stomach didn't revolt.

"Better?" Josie asked.

"I think so," Lizzie said slowly.

"Want to go home?" Josie asked.

Lizzie shook her head. "No, let's keep going."

She looked around, trying to place where they were.

"Make a right at the next turn and drive straight down that road," Lizzie said.

"Okay…" Josie said, still worried.

They got back into the car, and Josie made the turn Lizzie requested.

"What about you?" Lizzie asked when she got used to the motion of the vehicle and didn't feel sick again. "What's happening in your life?"

At this, Josie had to tread carefully, so she talked about Jade and Jed.

"The Js are pretty much excelling at Mystic Falls High," she began. "Jed _really_ wants to join a sport but can't. We all hang out on our free period and he likes to practice any and all sports then. We sometimes join in. It's funny because all the coaches want him, but he's turned them all down. So now they mostly just drool all over him."

"I still don't understand why he agreed to go back," Lizzie said.

"We're not sure either," Josie shrugged. "He doesn't talk about it, but I think it has something to do with Ethan. He's been avoiding him even more now that Ethan is alpha. Ethan's made it his mission in life to talk to Jed; and Jed isn't talking."

"I figured it had something to do with Alyssa," Lizzie said.

"Could be," Josie shrugged. "Jed doesn't talk about himself much, at least not to me and Jade. But we have fun. We've all become pretty good friends."

"So that's _Jed_ ," Lizzie said. "What about _you_?"

"Jade and I are doing better now," Josie said. "She was upset I wasn't making her a priority. She didn't mind my friendship with you or Hope; she just wanted to be important too."

"As she should be," Lizzie said firmly. "Like I said, I don't need another Penelope situation, especially not on top of everything else."

"There's no chance of _that_ happening," Josie explained. "She thought the idea of her being mad at _you_ because of the way _I_ treated _her_ was ridiculous. We talked everything out though. She forgave me, and we're better than ever now."

"And that means?" Lizzie prodded knowingly.

"Exactly what I said," Josie laughed.

"Do you love her?" Lizzie asked.

"I don't know," Josie said. "Neither of us has said it. We're just…happy." And she didn't know if she ever would say it. She cared a lot about Jade. She just didn't know if she loved her. The last two times she thought she loved someone, it hadn't ended well. As much as she liked being with Jade, Penelope and Landon had both done a number on her feelings. She couldn't allow herself to trust as easily as she had before.

"Good," Lizzie nodded. "Don't rush it. Rushing into things makes everything messy and complicated." Just look what happened with her and Sebastian, or her and Rafael—which was a total non-starter to begin with.

"So, what about you and MG?"

"Ugh, not you too," Lizzie griped. "We are _just_ friends. No relationship drama there at _all._ "

"Sorry, it just seems like you two are getting close _r_ ," Josie said.

"We spend time together because he's a good friend," Lizzie said. "Besides, with increasing my medication, I'm not sure it's possible for me to even _have_ true feelings for someone right now. Everything is kind of…different."

"I'm sure it's possible," Josie said, rushing to reassure her. "MG just isn't the one for you, I guess."

Lizzie nodded quietly.

"I'm just glad Ethan isn't as gung-ho with me as MG always was with you," Josie said.

"What did Ephram do now?"

"Nothing really," Josie shrugged. "I've known he's liked me since before he triggered his curse. I've done nothing but friend-zone him. I think he's still interested though. He still talks to me whenever he gets the chance. He knows I'm with Jade, it just feels like…"

"He's waiting," Lizzie said, nodding. "For you guys to break up so he can try again."

"Exactly."

"MG used to make me feel like that," Lizzie said. "Not anymore though, thank God."

"Yeah," Josie laughed. "But like I said, he's much more subtle than MG ever was."

"Definitely subtle. I didn't get that vibe from him at all," Lizzie said. "So you really aren't into him? I mean, I know you have Jade but he kinda has that whole perfect loyal All-American-Boy vibe going on you like. Plus, he's no garden gnome. Why not keep him on the bench 'til it's his turn to bat?"

"Be _cause_ ," Josie sighed and dropped her head a little. "Mr. All-American doesn't know what I did to his arm. He'd drop out of the game real fast if he knew."

"Oh, yeah," Lizzie tilted her head. "Forgot about that. But he's a wolf now, it doesn't matter anymore."

" _You_ think so," Josie said, but she really didn't think Ethan would brush it aside.

"Just come clean, Jos," Lizzie insisted. "It's good for the soul."

"But not so much the friendship," Josie said.

"What friendship?" Lizzie asked. "If you can't be truthful with your friends, what's the point?"

Josie shifted, the question striking a little too close to home. She hadn't been truthful with a lot of people in a while. Not Ethan, not Hope, and not even Lizzie. But she just didn't want any of them to be upset with her. She hadn't even meant to warn Lizzie about Clarke earlier, but she couldn't resist. She only hoped Lizzie didn't say anything to Hope about it. She was finally feeling like she was getting to a good place with Lizzie again. She might never get there with Hope if she knew how much she hated Clarke.

"Well, I guess in the spirit of truthfulness…" Josie glanced at her sister. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you."

"Yes?"

"I want to run for Miss Mystic Falls this year. For _real_ , for real… you know?" Josie said, waiting with bated breath for her sister's response.

"Then run," Lizzie said simply.

"Just like that?" Josie asked.

"Josie," Lizzie shook her head. "If there's something you want to do, do it. I, of course, plan to run since I didn't get to last year, but I would never hold you back."

"Thanks," Josie smiled gratefully relieved that went better than she dreamed it would.

"Here it is!" Lizzie said suddenly, leaning forward. "Pull in here!"

Josie turned into a parking lot with very few vehicles.

Pulling to the front, she understood why. It was the beginning of March and still cold but some parents decided to bundle up their little ones and take them out for fun.

"This is the playground Mom used to take us to," Lizzie said.

"It looks exactly the same," Josie said, grinning as she looked around.

"It does, doesn't it?" Lizzie said, smiling softly.

"Why here?" Josie asked.

"Everything was simpler the last time we were here," Lizzie said. Like with the arcade, it reminded her of when they were kids and their biggest worry was the flavor of freezee pop they would choose when play time was over.

"Race you to the swings?" Josie said as she put the car into park.

"Nausea and running do _not_ mix," Lizzie said, not wanting to start her stomach rolling again. "In fact, you swing, I'll push."

"Works for me!"

* * *

Jade slammed her paddle against the ping pong ball, hoping to get one past Jed, but no, he was there to return the volley just like she was there in an instant to return his.

"This game is intense," Wade watched from his seat.

"We'll have to see if you can take me next," Jade called out, hitting the ball back.

" _If_ you win," Jed said.

"No, thanks," Wade said, shaking his head.

Jed made a tricky move, somehow slamming the ball on the table at an angle Jade wasn't expecting.

"Darn it," she grumbled when the ball went flying.

"One more and I win," Jed said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," Jade said.

Jed served and they began. She had to laugh when he nearly fell trying to return a volley, but then _he_ was laughing when she had to dive to get to the ball when he _did_ return it.

Back and forth they went, trying to make the hits tighter, psyching each other out, until she finally hit the ball too hard, missing the table completely and he just watched it hit the ground with a grin.

"Yes!" Jed exclaimed.

"Nice," Jade said jokingly huffing, putting her paddle on the table and walking away to flounce into a chair next to Wade.

"Who's next?!" Jed held up his paddle with a smile. "Come on, Wade."

"Not interested," the fairy said.

"I'll jump in."

Jade hid a smile when she saw Ethan pick up her abandoned paddle. Jed looked like he swallowed an ice pick.

"We were just going to—" Jed started, but was interrupted.

"Play another round," Ethan finished before Jed could run away. "So, let's go."

Jed served cautiously. He was relieved when Ethan didn't say anything else after that. The game kept getting more and more intense and the old competitive spirit took over until both boys were having a blast.

Jade watched them with curiosity. Seeing them now, it didn't seem like anything was wrong. It looked like two best friends playing a game together.

With one eye on the boys, she listened to Wade.

"I think I've made a friend in one of those chat rooms," he said. "They like the same things, and its nice talking to them."

"So when are you meeting them?" Jade asked.

"I'm not sure," he said. "They haven't asked."

"When you're ready, you should," she said. "I'll go with you if you're nervous."

"No," he said, sitting up a little straighter. "I should do it myself."

"Where's Josie?" Ethan asked, glancing around after he returned a volley.

Jed shrugged, sending the ball back.

"Almost like old times," Ethan said. "Except for her and Maya. We should all do that again. Maybe watch a movie or go star gazing—since last time was so eventful." He shook his head, referring to his unexpected first werewolf experience, though Jed wasn't there for that.

"I could bring my telescope," Wade spoke up.

Ethan nodded, not caring that Wade wasn't a part of the original unit. If it got Jed to come along, he didn't care _who_ came.

"I'm busy," Jed said, stepping back and letting the ball pass by.

"I didn't even say when," Ethan argued, looking at Jed with a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

Jed looked away.

"Josie's with Lizzie," Jade answered Ethan's original question when she saw how uncomfortable Jed was getting. "Twin time."

Ethan nodded but didn't say anything else. He was frustrated with Jed. As alpha, it was his duty to help him through whatever he was going through. He wasn't doing it out of duty though. He was doing it because Jed mattered to him even though he kept blowing him off. Why didn't Jed want to talk to him? Was the problem _him_? But that didn't make any sense. Ethan hadn't been near him _to_ do anything.

Ethan went to talk again, but Jed tossed his paddle on the table and left without saying anything else.

"Do you know what that's about?" Ethan asked, looking at Jade.

"No clue," Jade shrugged.

"You and everyone else," Ethan sighed.

"I think you should abandon your whole 'like old times' thing though," Jade said. "Too many things have changed."

"Not really," he disagreed.

"I'm with Josie now," she said pointedly.

"I know, but—"

"I was wrong before," she interrupted him. "I always thought she liked you and you liked her. But she only wanted me. And we're together now."

"I _know_ —" he insisted, but again she interrupted him.

"You _do_ like her though," she said.

Yeah, he still liked Josie, but he wasn't an idiot. She hadn't showed one iota of interest in him. She was dating someone else. He wanted to at least be friends with her though. He didn't see any problem with that.

"Right now I'm only interested in helping Jed," he said honestly. All of them hanging out like _'old times'_ was a way to reach out to Jed again. He didn't see a problem with that either.

"He doesn't want your help," she said, stating the obvious. "I think it's best you just leave Josie _and_ Jed alone."

He frowned.

"Don't get me wrong," she said, standing up. "At the end of the day, I think you're alright. But stop trying so hard. There are plenty of girls at this school to ask out, and wolves you can coddle."

"There's something wrong with Jed," he argued. "As his friend, don't you want to help him?"

"Yes, and _I_ will," she said. "When he's ready to talk, I'll be there to listen. He knows that. Just like I know he doesn't want to talk to you. Being alpha means you can lead the wolves, it doesn't mean you can force them to do whatever you want."

"I know that, and I'd never do that to any of them," he said. "I'm worried."

"I know, E," she said, softening slightly. "But let him figure whatever this is out on his own. Let him come to you."

It wasn't as simple as she was making it sound. He needed to know _why_. Why wouldn't Jed talk to him? Why had Jed shut him out? It bugged him.

But if he had to wait to find out… he didn't really have much choice in the matter, did he?

"Does this mean we're not going stargazing?" Wade asked.

* * *

Carrying four fully stocked tote bags, two in each hand, Hope made her way to the front door of her family's Virginia mansion.

If she had come all this way only to find an empty house, she would be disappointed.

But she knew she was right.

If Ryan thought Josie was hiding Wendy, and Josie was using houses she had security codes too, the Mikaelson home was the perfect choice. Not only would no one be using it (not even for special events like the ones that may be hosted at the Lockwood estate), Ryan also didn't _know_ that Josie would have access to this home. He may not even know it existed. When he mentioned the apartment, she considered telling him they could just use the house, but he had already signed the lease. Plus, the thought of having something that was just _theirs_ , where no one else could ever intrude without their permission, it sounded perfect. It was home—their home and no one else's.

When Ryan was pretending to be Vardemus, no one would have remembered her _or_ the fact that she personally gave the school permission to access her family's mansion in an emergency. The school usually used the Lockwood estate because it was closer to the school, but she had made the Mikaelson mansion available just in case.

Hence, no one would have remembered to _tell_ Ryan that it was an option.

Josie, being one of the headmaster's daughters, was usually a large part of helping her father in any emergency situations, down to security access.

Switching the bags so they were all on one hand, and wincing at the straps biting into her palm, she fished her key out of her pocket and entered.

She paused to listen and smiled.

The alarm was turned off.

 _Excellent_.

She swept through the foyer, glancing around, looking for any signs of life.

Going into the kitchen, she found a single cup and plate that were sitting on the breakfast nook table. An open packet of half eaten peanut butter crackers showed she must have interrupted an early dinner or snack.

Sensing a magical presence in the room, knowing Wendy must have used an invisibility spell, she turned to the center of the room.

Hefting the bags onto the counter, she began sorting through them for all perishables.

"You know," she began. "Last year I got stuck in a place. It was much like a prison as I was trapped and couldn't find a way home for the longest time. Not ten years like you, but still."

She pulled lunch meat, a couple bags of salad mixes, and some fresh vegetables from one of the bags and carried them to the fridge.

"Then, when I finally got out," she continued, dropping the food items into the crisper, "It was horrible. Everyone had forgotten me. I had no family, no friends. I had no one."

She went back to the bags, pulling out a vat of ice cream and a few frozen dinners.

"All that time I spent trapped, I thought that if only I could get free, that everything would turn out okay," she pushed the freezer door shut with a laugh. "I was wrong."

Going through the other bags, she started pulling out a loaf of bread, cans of soup, a couple jars of sauce, and boxes of noodles, preparing to put them in the cabinets.

"I had to adapt," she explained. "Until one day, things got better. It's been months, but I'm happy now. I'm catching up in school, on my way to graduate. My friends and I defeated the biggest evil we ever faced. I'm in a relationship too."

Sweeping an errant hair behind her ear with a soft grin, she picked up a bunch of items and carried them to the cabinet. She nodded at it, using her magic to open the door for her.

"I could go on about _that_ and him," she said, "but that's not the point."

She turned and looked around the room, still feeling the magical presence.

"The point is, I know you're here, Wendy," she said softly. "I'm not going to tell anyone. Not yet anyway. See, I know you're running. I know you're scared. I know that you spent ten years hoping for freedom and now that you have it, things aren't going as planned."

"I'm here because I want to help you," she continued. "I'm offering you a chance to put all of this craziness behind you. To rejoin society. To help you find what truly makes you happy. I know what you've done. I know who you've killed. I've killed people too. I know it's not something you can easily get over. But redemption _is_ possible."

"So," she drew herself up. "Here's the deal. It's Monday. I'll be back on Wednesday. I hope you're still here. And I hope you're willing to accept my help. I also need back whatever you stole. But, I _will_ help you get through this. I _will_ protect you. And I'll make sure Triad stays off your back forever."

She waited, wondering if the girl might step forward now.

But, no. She needed more time.

"I'll let you finish putting all this away," she motioned to the bags full of snacks, basic hygiene supplies, and anything else she figured a teenager on the run might need. "I hope it helps you feel a little more normal.

"And, if you need me before Wednesday, well, you know where I am," she finished.

Taking a deep breath, she turned and left.

She had done all she could to help save Wendy.

Now, it was up to Wendy if she wanted to save herself.

* * *

Hope returned to school and immediately ran into the one person she had been hoping to avoid.

Landon.

"Raf's still not shifting," he said sharply. "Fix him."

"Are you sure he doesn't just need more time?" she asked, her voice softer than usual.

While she was putting off talking to Rafael as long as possible, that wasn't the reason she wanted to avoid Landon. She saw the look on his face in the comic book shop. It had been three months since he knew they were never getting back together, since he knew she was with Ryan, but it seemed like he was struggling more than ever with moving past it.

It seemed almost like a delayed reaction on his part. Yes, he was upset back then, but he never got confrontational or even tried to talk to her in all that time. She was sure he accepted it and was working on moving on. Clearly, she was wrong. She should have known. Landon's default setting had always been to run away when things got heavy or difficult. He needed tons of space to process before he figured out what he wanted to do next. She just couldn't believe it had taken him _three months_ this time.

" _I want you back!"_

His words last week surprised the hell out of her. She did everything she could during that conversation to make him see there was no hope at _all_. She was pretty sure she had reached him by the end of it, as he looked really hurt but resigned.

The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him any further. Breakups were hard, as she still remembered how hurt and broken she felt when he had done it to her. She moved on much faster than she ever thought possible, but she knew she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She knew she was with who she was _supposed_ to be with now.

" _Yes_ ," he said, his eyes glaring hard into hers. "I'm sure. So, fix him since you're the one who broke him."

"About the comic book shop—"

"Don't," he looked away. While he knew she was with Clarke, he had never actually _seen_ them together wrapped up in an intimate moment. He never felt more jealous in his life.

"It's been months, Landon," she said, still keeping her voice soft. She didn't want to fight with him. "You've got to let it go. I know it's hard, but you've got to move on."

"Hard? You have no idea," he scoffed. "I was barely gone before you were shacking up with him!"

She sighed. They already had this argument. She didn't want to rehash it. She wished she could figure out a way to help him.

"And let it go? You don't know how I feel, so don't even _try_ —" he sputtered before continuing. "Since coming back, do you have any idea what I've been going through? Do you even care?!"

"Of course, I care," she said, trying to affect a caring tone. She hoped it didn't come off as patronizing. She really did care. She _told_ him she still wanted them to be friends. "I'm here if you want to talk, okay? When I said I still wanted to be friends, it wasn't just to be polite. Talk to me. Tell me what's going on. I'm sorry you were hurt because of me. I can't undo that, but I _can_ help with anything else."

"Just help Raf," he finally said. He couldn't take this. He couldn't take her trying to be understanding and, yes, _polite_. Her heart was her greatest quality. It was one of the things that drew him to her to begin with. For her to show it to him now, his loss just hurt that much more.

"I'll talk to him after school tomorrow," she finally said.

"Why not now?" he said, forcing an attitude so he could push away his feelings.

"Tomorrow."

That was all she said as she waited for confirmation.

"Fine," he said stiffly before turning on his heel and stalking away.

Letting out a breath, she watched him leave.

She didn't need to explain her reasons to him. She knew he would just give her a ton of crap if she did because the _real_ reason was that she couldn't talk to Raf until she talked to Ryan.

She promised him full disclosure in all things Rafael.

And she _really_ wasn't looking forward to it.

* * *

"I found something," Clarke said. He clicked and moved a file. "I sent the spell. Let me know what you think."

Hope opened the file attachment and read through it.

"Ryan, no."

"Hear me out," he said. "It feeds on black magic."

"Ryan, it's a _hex_ ," Hope said. "We're not hexing Lizzie!"

"But the darkness keeps growing," he said. "As long as it has something to feed on, it won't run out and kill her."

"We're _not hexing Lizzie!_ " she said with clear enunciation. "I _know_ what hexes do. Aunt Bex can tell you from personal experience. Do _you_ want to tell her your grand plan to save her new favorite pet? You know she adores Lizzie. She'll say exactly what I'm saying. _No_. I wouldn't use that even as a last resort."

"I'll keep looking," he sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"I know you will," she said with a soft smile. She loved that he was as worried about Lizzie as she was. She felt a million times better knowing so many people were working to find a solution to save Lizzie.

Unfortunately, she felt less than stellar about what she was about to tell him.

"So… remember I told you Ethan's now the schools alpha?"

"How could I forget?" Clarke said. He only met Hope's cousin once but that was more than enough for him to decide he liked him. Thus far he hadn't met a relative of Hope's he didn't like. Ethan, unlike most of the students at Hope's school, actually liked him too. And the fact that Ethan had beaten the crap out of Rafael to become leader of the wolves also increased Ethan's value in Clarke's mind.

"Rafael's not taking it well," she said.

"Even better," he said, not bothering to hide his delight. She knew he didn't like the hybrid; there was no reason to hide his feelings on the matter.

She cleared her throat. "Do you also remember Landon getting confrontational and you asked about it?"

"And you said you'd explain but never did," he nodded, remembering how they got too distracted making out in the car while waiting for her friends to bother talking about inane matters like her ex.

"After the alpha fight, Rafael kind of…stopped working to break the sire bond," she explained.

He frowned.

"Which is why Landon came to me last week and asked me to talk to Raf," she went on. "I told him to give Raf time, and we kind of had a fight."

"Let me guess, Landon wanted you to help right then and there," he said.

"That," she nodded. "And he said he wanted me back…"

"Sucks to be him," he said, though he maintained his frown.

"I didn't say it quite like _that_ ," she looked heavenward, "but I basically told him to move on, which is what I told him again today."

"He's still trying? Even after last week?" he asked. He reminded himself he didn't have anything to worry about. If she still wanted to be with Landon, she _would_ be. He gave her every chance in the beginning to go back to the phoenix. But she chose _him_. He didn't pressure her to pick him over Landon. She did that all on her own. He didn't have anything to worry about. Nope. Nothing.

"Not really," she said, nibbling at her bottom lip before forging ahead. "He was letting me know time was up. Rafael still isn't doing anything, and since I told Landon I'd give Raf until next week…and it's next week…" she sighed. "I need to talk to Raf."

Now _that_ he could worry about.

"No."

"Ryan, I'm not asking permission," she said firmly. "This is your full disclosure. I'm going to talk to Raf tomorrow, find out why he's stopped trying to break the bond and hopefully get him to start again."

"Hope…" He didn't know what to say to convince her it was a bad idea.

"He's my responsibility," she insisted. "My blood did this to him. I need to help him. Also, he's my _friend_. He can't help what's happening to him. He needs me."

"It's too dangerous," he argued.

"He won't hurt me," she said. "The sire bond isn't broken so he still has to do what I say. And he still can't hurt anyone _including_ me. He couldn't even hurt _you_ if you were standing in front of him. You're acting like the sire bond isn't working, but believe me, if it wasn't, I wouldn't have to deal with this."

He knew she was right. He just _really_ didn't want her around the hybrid. Not the least of which was due to Rafael's apparent infatuation with Hope.

_BOOM!_

Hope rolled her eyes.

"Do you _have_ to slam the door every time you come in the room?"

Alyssa tossed her books on her desk and shrugged, "I know how to make an entrance."

"Yeah, a _loud_ one," Hope said, turning back to her screen.

"I should go," she started.

"Just talk to him on the phone," he insisted, not wanting her to end the call yet.

"I know you're worried, but it'll be fine," she said. "I'll be _fine_."

"Are you done yet?" Alyssa said with a look of distaste.

Hope didn't like talking to Ryan while Alyssa was in the room anyway, but she hated whenever Alyssa acted like she ruled their room. Like, when she entered there shouldn't be _any_ sounds she didn't approve of.

"No," Clarke said loudly for Alyssa's benefit. "We're _not_ done."

"Was there something else you wanted to discuss?" Hope asked in a tone indicating she was deliberately ignoring their previous conversation.

"The hybrid is too—"

"Dangerous!" Hope interrupted loudly in her exasperation. "I don't care!"

"Wow," Alyssa said as she came over and flounced on the bed next to Hope. "Speaking of being _loud_."

"Ex _cuse_ you?" Hope said, looking at her roommate. "I'm having a _private_ conversation with my boyfriend. Why don't you leave and I'll tell you when it's safe to come back."

Alyssa really shouldn't be testing Hope's patience. Between keeping Wendy's whereabouts from Ryan and arguing with him over Rafael, Hope's nerves were a bit frazzled and fighting with Alyssa while convincing Ryan to give in wasn't helping.

"So _that's_ what you really look like," Alyssa said, ignoring Hope and looking at the screen.

"Yes, yes," Hope said sarcastically, grabbing at her laptop to turn it _away_ from the witch. "That's what he looks like. Now _scoot!_ "

"You know, your _super secret_ _club_ ," Alyssa said to Clarke with air quotes, "was one of the more interesting extra-curriculars here."

Clarke snickered despite his annoyance at being interrupted.

"I'm still down to be a member," Alyssa leaned against Hope to angle her head to see the screen even though she was moving it. "We could have our _own_ private Zoom sessions."

" _EXCUSE_ me?!" Hope said, pushing Alyssa away from the screen.

"You're not excused," Alyssa said while pushing her back.

"I've had a career change," Clarke spoke up, smirking in amusement at Hope's reaction.

"That's too bad," Alyssa sniffed and stopped trying to look at the screen when Hope pushed her again.

"Just how many girls _were_ a part of your _super secret club_?" Hope asked with her own air quotes, glaring at the screen.

"A few," he said, wondering if she would hang up on him if he started laughing. He had to admit, her jealousy was incredibly hot.

"Uh huh," she said, still eyeing him.

"Relax, Hope," Alyssa said as she examined her nails, wrinkling her nose. "He was pretending to be Vardemus. Although… if we knew he was hiding all _that_ …"

Hope was ready to strangle her.

"Back _off_ , Alyssa," Hope glared at her.

"Not fun having the tables turn, is it?" Clarke asked.

"Please don't tell me you're still jealous of Raf?" Hope asked, looking back at the screen quickly.

"Well, wouldn't you be?" he said. "I don't go near anyone interested in me, not even for _Zoom_ sessions," he used air quotes for the word. "We both know how he feels about you."

Hope sank back against her pillows. He had a point.

"I won't talk to him alone, okay?" she said. "Landon will be there."

He scoffed. "Like that makes it any better?"

" _Fine_ ," Alyssa dropped her hand and let out a long suffering sigh. "I'll do it."

"You'll do what?" Hope asked.

"Go with you when you have your _talk_ ," Alyssa did her air quotes thing again.

"Can you stop with the air quotes, Alyssa?" Hope said, exasperated.

"Okay," Clarke said.

"Okay, _what_?" Hope said, turning back.

"If she goes with you, I'll back off," he said.

"So, what, Alyssa's my bodyguard now or something?" Hope said defensively.

"At least she won't hesitate if he tries to hurt you," he said. "We both know you _and_ Landon would think twice about hurting _him_."

"Ooh, I get to hurt people?" Alyssa said, perking up.

"We don't even know if magic works on him," Hope reminded them. "It didn't when Lizzie tried to put him to sleep."

"Then I'll just use magic to throw something at him," Alyssa said, shrugging. "The magic may not hurt, but something hard and metal will."

"Then it's agreed," Clarke said. "Talk to him, but take Alyssa with you."

Hope sighed, "Gee, _thanks_ , Alyssa."

Alyssa tossed her hair over her shoulder with a smug smile.

"What are friends for?"

* * *

Pulling out her burner phone, Josie wanted to check on Wendy before she got ready for bed.

It was kind of funny how Josie had become Wendy's primary contact when it was Jade's idea _and_ Jade's friend. But Josie was way too invested in it now.

This was no longer about Jade trying to protect her friend.

Josie was going to continue using Wendy as a way to silently be a thorn in Clarke's side.

 _But maybe it wasn't going to be so silent anymore,_ she thought as she read.

"Crap," she murmured to herself. "Hope, what are you doing?"

Wendy was compromised.

The good news? Hope was protecting Wendy from Triad for the time being.

She smirked knowing that meant Hope was keeping things from Clarke. She only wished she could use that bit of knowledge to put a wedge between them. She couldn't use it _yet_ though, because using it meant compromising herself _and_ Wendy.

The bad news was Hope would only protect her until Wednesday. So, Wendy would be heading for the Lockwood Estate that day—the final safe house.

Which meant Josie and Jade now needed to come up with another option in the event Wendy had to leave _that_ safe house.

There was _more_ good news though!

Wendy also mentioned she had a special meeting on Saturday, and, if all went well, she wouldn't need to be hidden anymore. She could finally leave Mystic Falls for good.

She just needed their help to make sure Triad stayed off her ass for the day so she could take care of business.

Josie closed the phone.

By this time next week, Wendy would be officially gone, free to live her life hidden completely from Triad.

And Josie could give Clarke the biggest proverbial middle finger.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

Lizzie yawned.

It had been another long day of classes and all she wanted to do was go back to bed.

Unfortunately, teachers still thought things like homework were necessary.

She knew the Monday Blues existed, but what about Tuesday?

She wanted to take Josie's advice and try to manipulate air to make a tornado on purpose, but she was too tired to work on an element she already passed. Maybe she could find the energy after she worked on the next one, but she doubted it.

Now, if only MG would hurry up and join her before she fell asleep. Her new medication dosage was kicking her ass in more ways than one. She was glad he agreed to meet up with her while she was practicing. She didn't want to be alone if something went wrong again.

Fortunately, she felt about as far from a panic attack as one could get. She was just tired today. So, _so_ tired.

She sat on the park bench and propped her head up with hand, her elbow resting on the table. She didn't want to go to sleep, but maybe she could just rest her eyes for a minute…

"Lizzie?"

MG touched her shoulder gently. He couldn't help but smile seeing that she had fallen asleep.

If he knew he could get away with it, he would pick her up and zip to her room…and then watch her sleep for the rest of the afternoon.

But that would be creepy, right?

She would probably think so. He, on the other hand, didn't see any problem with sitting and staring at her. She was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

He would always love this girl, and he would always be whatever she needed him to be just so he could always be in her life.

Today, she needed someone to help her with her homework.

Not for the first time, he silently thanked Hope and Josie: Hope, for being too busy catching up on her own work to help Lizzie, and Josie, for giving up her powers so she couldn't help Lizzie with her magic homework even if she wanted to.

That meant _he_ could help her and spend time with her too.

"Lizzie?" he repeated a little louder, tapping her shoulder a few times.

She woke with a start, sitting up straight, "Present and accounted for!"

MG grinned as he sat down next to her.

"If you're that tired, you could work on it tomorrow?" he suggested.

"No," she shook her head, "this is just another effect of my new meds. It'll pass eventually… I hope."

"Do you need to see your doctor again?" he asked. "Because I'll go with you."

She shook her head again. "Not until next week. I'll just give it the full two weeks before going back. Adjustments can be made then."

"So, what's today's element?" he asked.

"Fire," she said, flexing her fingers to prepare.

"But don't you already know fire?" he asked. "I've seen you girls throw a _lot_ of fireballs."

"You've seen us create a ball of fire to throw at our enemies—or anyone who happens to annoy us that day, yes," she said. "But we've never learned to manipulate the fire."

"Why would you need to?"

"Same reason we needed to learn how to manipulate air, I guess," she shrugged. "To become more familiar with the chemistry of magic."

"So, what do you gotta do?"

"I'm going to start out by creating a small flame in my palm," she said, holding up her hand. "Then I'm going to make it dance."

"Don't flames already dance on their own?"

"Fine," she huffed as she stood up to walk _away_ from the wooden and highly flammable bench. "I'll make it form something."

"Like what?" he asked.

"An arrow? Or a kite? Or… I don't know, you pick," she was tired and a little drowsy. She couldn't think enough to make a choice.

"How about a dragon?" he asked with a big grin.

"I'm not Merlin," she deadpanned. "Something a little less complicated."

"Oh, I know!" he said. "Turn the fire into a big circle, and spin it around, you know, like pizza dough. That would be cool."

"A fiery pizza," she said, shaking her head. "Next thing you'll want me to add pepperoni."

"Can you do that?"

" _No_ ," she said and then smiled a little. "Now hush."

She held up her hand and focused, conjuring fire in her palm like she had done a million times before.

Instead of throwing it though, she focused and the fire lifted in the air above her hand. It was slow going, but she finally managed to get the fire to form a circle.

Once that happened, she focused on widening the circumference. She grew wary at the idea of spinning it. It was a little too much like a tornado, and she couldn't think of anything worse than an out of control fiery tornado.

"You know, this looks a little less like pizza and more like…" MG tilted his head. "Doctor Strange."

"Sorry, fresh out of shields," she said.

"If you hollow out the center, it'll look like a portal," he said.

"Not interested in going anywhere either," she said, but she was glad it looked like she had finally succeeded in her assignment and nothing went wrong.

Focusing, she allowed the fire to go out until it disappeared into a small plume of smoke.

"Thank _God_ something went right for once," she sat down again.

"That's it?" he said, sitting next to her. "You didn't make it spin."

"Give me a few minutes," she said. She was feeling more confident after a successful spell for the first time in weeks, so maybe she _would_ try to spin it.

"I hope this means the medication is working," she continued. "I've got a _lot_ to do in the next couple of weeks and I really need to keep it together."

"What's up?" he asked.

"Next Friday is Mystic Fall's Spring Festival, and yours truly volunteered to organize it," she said with a tiny smug smile.

"That's Friday?"

" _Next_ Friday," she said. "It's the first day of spring, and I'm in charge. So it needs to be _perfect_! Miss Mystic Falls is next month and I need to look good for the judges. I will not allow anything to hold me back from winning this year."

He nodded. He wasn't really into all the pomp and circumstance of the town's traditions, but he knew it meant a lot to her since it meant a lot to her mother.

"Speaking of…" she turned toward him. "With all my craziness, the _last_ thing I want to deal with is finding an escort. You'll do it, right?"

His eyes widened and he looked at her a little shocked.

"You want me to be…"

"My escort for Miss Mystic Falls," she said firmly.

"Uh, sure," he worked _really_ hard to contain his enthusiasm. She wasn't technically asking him out so he needed to rein it in. But she was asking him to stand up for her—next to her—at one of the most important events of her life. He knew Lizzie Saltzman enough to know how important the pageant was to her. "What do you need me to do?"

"You'll wear a suit, learn the traditional dance, and make sure I don't fall," Lizzie shrugged. "Easy enough, right?"

"I can do that," he said, remembering belatedly that he would not only get to dance with Lizzie during the contest but also get to rehearse the dance with her until they got it right.

"You can also help set up for the festival," she said. "I will need a _lot_ of help."

"Su-u-re," he said, stumbling over his words as he sometimes did around her.

"Opening day I need to be there bright and early before it starts," she said. "You'll be there then too?"

"Sure… wait," he paused. "I have exams that morning."

"Rats," she said. "Mine will be done by then."

"But I'll come right after they're done?" he offered.

"Good," she said. She wondered if Hope would be free that morning. She really didn't want to be alone while ordering everyone around. What if something went wrong with her powers again? She would ask her later. Josie, of course, didn't have exams next week since she was on a different schedule at the human school, so her sister wouldn't be able to help.

"Okay," she stood up with determination. "Let's try this again. A spinning pizza."

"Or magical energy shields!" he said.

"Pipe down, MG," she said. "One thing at a time."

She began the spell again, forming the disc of fire the same way she had done before.

"That's it…" he murmured encouragingly.

Taking a deep breath, she focused on making it spin.

She did it!

"It's spinning!" she said.

"And what do pizza experts do while spinning their dough?" he said.

"What?"

"Toss it in the air a few times," he said.

Pressing her lips together, she focused and made the fiery spinning disc rise up in the air before it dropped back down to arm level.

Grinning, she decided to do it again.

And again, it rose up and dropped back down.

"Apparently this is your element," he said.

"I didn't do too bad with water either," she said out the side of her mouth.

"So, two out of three, alright," he said. "We can work on air again tomorrow?"

"Right," she nodded. "Air."

Just thinking about the invisible element turned out to be a bad idea.

No sooner did she think about it than she started losing control. Air was mixing with the spinning fire, and everyone knew that air fanned the flames and made them bigger.

"MG," she said, alarmed. "I'm losing it."

"Just breathe," he said. "Focus on the fire and putting it out like you did before."

She tried, she really _tried_ , but something about manipulating air spooked her. She remembered the panic attack and the room full of students laughing at her. She remembered how scared she was that her loss of control might mean the darkness was coming to destroy her.

"Lizzie," he said, seeing the panic on her face. "You can do this. Get your control back. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I've got you."

"I can't make it stop!" She couldn't find it. She couldn't find control.

Maybe if she just stopped, just stepped back, it would all go away.

Without thinking it through, she dropped her hands suddenly and moved back.

Big mistake.

The fire spun completely out of control, expanding and contrasting, glowing brighter and brighter.

"MG…" she didn't know how to make it stop.

He didn't know what to do either, but he knew it would probably be best if they _weren't_ around to see what the fire would do next.

"Let's—"

The fire suddenly grew and glowed the brightest yet. There was a split second where they both stared at it in horror before it contrasted and basically _exploded_.

Without thinking, Lizzie jumped in front of MG.

Just as quickly, MG grabbed her and vamp sped away from the fire as fast as he could, trying to escape the flames that were reaching out for them.

Coming to a stop some yards away, MG looked over his shoulder to see that the flames were finally gone, the last explosion burning it out.

Lizzie screamed against him.

He turned back and saw that one of her forearms had been burned badly before he could get them away. The jacket she wore had burned away at the spot. Embers could still be seen in the clothing.

Cursing, he quickly worked to get the jacket off of her. She was wearing a short sleeve top, so her shirt was fine, it was just the jacket.

And her _arm_.

"It hurts!" she cried out, trying to grab for the arm with her other hand but screamed out again at her own touch.

"Shh, shh," he tried to comfort her, sinking with her down to the ground while she screamed.

"You can feel it, so it didn't destroy the nerves," he said. "It must not've gone too deep."

"It's deep enough to _hurt_ ," she sobbed against his shoulder. "Make it stop, oh my God, make it stop!"

He brought his hand up to his mouth and bit into the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.

"Here," he said, holding his now bloody hand out to her. "It'll stop."

She drew back and looked at his hand, the tears streaming down her face as she felt an overwhelming feeling of trepidation.

"And no scarring?" he said hopefully, though his eyes belayed his worry. This could've ended so much worse than it had. What were the teachers at the school thinking, giving the students an assignment like this?

Lizzie wanted the pain to go away, she _really_ did, and the idea of having a giant burn scar on her arm wasn't something she was looking forward to… but Hope's dream, and possible premonition, was racing through her mind.

Is this how she would become a vampire? _Was_ she destined to become one? Was it really a premonition?

"Let me help the pain go away," he said softly, confused at her hesitation.

"Don't let me die," she finally said. She couldn't live her life scared of a premonition that might not even be true. If Hope hadn't said anything, she would've accepted MG's help in an instant.

"Never," he insisted.

She took his hand and brought it to her mouth. Clenching her eyes shut, fighting past the pain and fear, she did it. She actually drank his blood.

Afterward, she winced, "Ugh, that was disgusting."

"But you're better," he said, reaching for her arm to show her, glad to see the blisters go away.

The pain was gone, though the deep seated fear still existed, just as it would for the next twenty-four hours.

"Well," she said nonchalantly, trying to push past her scattered thoughts. "That's enough fire for today. Maybe that's one I should only do with Hope."

"I agree," he said quickly. He could run fast, but Hope would've been able to neutralize the fire before it got out of control and exploded.

She stood up, frowning at the remains of her jacket.

"Here," he shrugged out of his and put it on her.

"Uh… thanks," she said. "I, uh, think I've had enough for today."

"Yeah, of magic," he said. "Me too."

"I mean _everything_ ," she said, then yawned loudly. "Time for bed."

"I'll go with you."

"Excuse me?"

"Heh, heh," he shook his head awkwardly. "I mean, I'll walk you to your room."

"Oh… okay?" she started back to the school and he followed her.

"And, you know, hang out in your hallway after that."

"Uh, MG, stalker much?"

"I promised I wouldn't let you die," he said, shrugging. "I'll be your shadow for the next twenty-four hours. Gotta keep my promise."

She glanced down, feeling a huge amount of relief at his words. Not that there was a chance of her dying in her sleep…she didn't think? But it calmed her, just like his presence calmed her.

He really was a great friend.

"I _guess_ I can find a pillow and blanket so you can sleep on the floor in my room," she said before she could think better of it.

"Will make my job easier," he said, smiling sheepishly.

"It's not like you haven't slept on the floor of my room before," she shrugged, remembering their sleeping arrangements in New Orleans.

"I wonder if one floor is more comfortable than another?" he pondered.

* * *

"Are you trying to walk faster than me?" Alyssa asked, keeping pace with Hope easily.

Hope just kept marching toward the basement cells, her lips clamped together stubbornly. Yes, she was trying to walk faster than Alyssa. But that whole being short thing was working against her, plus Alyssa was in excellent shape so she had no problem keeping up.

"Geez, Hope, chill out," Alyssa said, rolling her eyes.

Hope only glared at her momentarily before she continued stalking forward.

Alyssa was used to her roommate's glares—just as she was used to Lizzie's disgust and Josie's occasional disdain—but over the past few weeks, she felt a change in both Josie _and_ Hope's attitude toward her. Hope seemed like she was trying to be friends with her, even more so than Josie. So having Hope return to her former dislike left Alyssa feeling like she had done something wrong. She knew she struggled with making friends all her life. She knew her jealousy and temper was a large part of why she struggled so much. Being friends with those three was the last thing she ever thought she would want, but after spending a night out with them she couldn't deny how much fun she had. She felt like she belonged somewhere for once in her life. She was still learning how to _be_ friends with them. She figured Lizzie would be the hardest, especially since she still had a ton of pent up jealousy simmering toward that twin.

Somehow, all the progress she made with Hope had disappeared and she didn't like it.

She stopped walking.

"I stopped," she called out.

Hope kept walking.

"You can't go down there without me," Alyssa said, crossing her arms across her chest.

Hope turned on her heel and stalked back to Alyssa.

"Let's just get this over with," Hope said, eyes flashing.

"If you really don't want me to go with you," Alyssa said, "We can go back and tell Ryan to pick someone else to go with you."

"Why? So you can flirt with him again?" Hope said, voice getting a little shrill. "And don't call him that. Clarke. You can call him _Clarke_."

 _Oh_. Now she understood.

"I wasn't flirting," Alyssa denied.

"Save it, Alyssa," Hope said. "I was right there with all your talks of your _super secret club._ " She air quoted the name.

Hope was jealous, Alyssa realized. And not just because of what Alyssa said last night, but because _Clarke_ had secret clandestine meetings with her as Vardemus, along with a bunch of other girls. It was over and done with though, so why was it bothering Hope now?

"Wow, you're really going to hold that club thing against me?" Alyssa asked. "We're witches, Hope. We like learning new spells, especially the dark ones no one around here ever bothered to teach us. I want to learn more. _That's_ why I asked him. I'm not interested in him. I know he's yours. I was teasing you. I figured you could take it."

Hope breathed deeply, trying to calm down. Alyssa was right. She had taken this jealousy thing a little far. She couldn't wait for tomorrow. Once she knew Wendy's answer, she could finally come clean with Ryan and then maybe she wouldn't be on edge any longer. She knew Alyssa, and she knew Ryan. Alyssa always gave her a hard time and, yes, teased her. And Ryan would never look twice at Alyssa. She was being absolutely ridiculous.

"Not this week apparently," Hope said, looking anywhere but at Alyssa.

"That's okay," Alyssa said, "I forgive you."

Hope looked up, crinkling her nose. " _You_ forgive _me_?"

"Yeah," Alyssa shrugged. "And you're right, let's get this over with."

Hope watched Alyssa walk past her.

"Chop, chop, Hope!" Alyssa looked over her shoulder. "I've got better things to do."

Hope sighed and hurried to catch up.

At least she no longer felt like she was going to strangle her roommate.

* * *

" _Auditus obstructionum_."

"What's she doing?" Landon whispered, peering into the room.

Alyssa elbowed him when he leaned too close to ask the question.

"Back off."

"Sorry, sorry," he said awkwardly, putting his hands up in a show of surrender.

"She put a spell on the room so we can't hear anything they say," she said, a little disappointed. Juicy gossip could be had from this. But, no. She shouldn't gossip about her friends… right?

"Why are you here again?" he asked.

"Why do you exist again?" she asked haughtily.

"Jeez," he grumbled, looking away and back at Rafael and Hope. He still didn't understand why he was out here with Alyssa instead of in _there_.

Alyssa smirked at his expression, and then went back to watching the two. She figured she probably wouldn't get to actually hurt anyone, but she was going to be on guard _just_ in case. It's not every day she was given permission to hurt anyone. It was nice.

* * *

"Hi, Raf," Hope said, smiling softly as she sat in the folding chair she placed in front of his. "How're you holding up?"

"Not good," he said, a little sheepishly.

From the moment he regained consciousness and found himself surrounded by all the school wolves and their brand new alpha, things had gone from bad to worse.

He lost the fight.

And, with it, he lost so much more than the alpha position.

"I'm sorry about the fight," she said. "I know it was important to you."

"Didn't you want Ethan to win though?" he said, remembering Ethan's words bating him during the fight.

Hope shook her head, "I didn't want to make a choice. You're both important to me."

"Yeah, but he's family to you," he said, not feeling much of anything but defeat.

"And you're my friend," she said.

"Am I?" he asked. "I can't even see you, talk to you."

"You know why…" she said.

Yeah, he knew why, but he didn't understand. Why did he have to stay away from her? She wasn't the one he went after. He would never hurt her. He would rather die than ever hurt her.

"But, if you break the sire bond, that can all change," she continued. "You know that too, so why did you stop?"

"Because it won't change," he muttered.

"Raf?" she asked, confused.

"I attacked Clarke," he said. "You're only here now because of the sire bond, but after the sire bond is broken I'm probably the last person you want to be around. He probably won't want you around me either."

Knowing he wasn't wrong about that, she struggled to find the words he needed to hear.

"Raf, you're my _friend_ ," she said again. "He knows it's the sire bond making you this way. He doesn't get to tell me who I'm allowed to be friends with. He knows that too. Do you _really_ think I'd let anyone tell me what to do?"

He smiled slightly, admitting to himself _that_ was true. She was Hope Mikaelson, badass. She wouldn't do anything she didn't want to.

"All of this _will_ change once you break the sire bond," she said. "I won't tell you to start again. I don't want you to do it because of the bond. I want you to do it only if it's something you want to do." She worded everything _very_ carefully. She didn't want to influence him in any way.

"As long as the bond exists, I can't see you," he said. "I know that. But I can _feel_ you. I know where you are. I know when you're close. It means I have to run the other way, but… I'm still connected to you. Once I break the bond, I won't have anything."

"That's what I'm trying to say," she said, feeling a little uncomfortable. He _felt_ her when she was near? And he didn't want that feeling to stop. She knew he still liked her as more than a friend, but… that was worrisome. Still, she needed him to break the bond for his _own_ sake. She would deal with the rest when it was over—and hope a lot of the feelings he had for her went away with the bond. "You _will_ have something. I'll still be your friend."

He looked down. He didn't know whether to believe her or not.

"Please believe me," she said. "Not because I said to, but because you _do_."

"I'll try," he said.

"I know it's not easy being a hybrid, and being sired is even worse," she said. "But you can get through this. You have Landon, you have your family—including _Ethan_ —and if you need to get a message to me, just tell one of them, okay?"

"Okay," he said, smiling softly. That last bit was new. Before, he wasn't allowed to even try to talk to her. Maybe it really would be okay.

"Do you think you might be ready to start again?" she asked. Part of her was worried he might have to start all over again since he took over a week off. But, she couldn't change that now.

"Yeah," he nodded. He was feeling a lot better after talking to her. Something about being in her presence soothed him.

"Then I'm gonna leave you to it," she said.

"I guess that means you gotta…" he started, feeling disappointed again. Did she really have to leave so soon?

"Yeah," she said with a sad smile.

"Do it," he said, getting up and going to the cell door, opening it and walking inside. He might as well start again now.

"Don't come near me until the bond is broken," she said.

Then she turned and quickly walked away.

* * *

"So it worked?" Landon asked as Hope walked out of the room and waved a hand to disperse the spell.

"He's in the cell, isn't he?" Alyssa answered for her.

"Well, yeah but—"

The loud growl coming from the other room confirmed Rafael had already started changing.

Landon sighed with relief. He scratched his head as he watched the two leave.

"Uh, thanks?" he called out.

Hope waved a hand at him, but kept going.

"She didn't do it for you, genius," Alyssa said over her shoulder.

What was it with the witches at this school? He shook his head. And since when did Hope and Alyssa hang out?

Weird.

"That was faster than I thought it would be," Alyssa said, following Hope through the halls.

Hope shrugged. She had a lot on her mind, worrying about Raf now on top of everything else. She brushed off Landon completely because she just couldn't deal with anymore boy drama, not today anyway.

"Too bad I couldn't hurt anyone," Alyssa said.

"Next time," Hope said giving her a slight smile.

"Let's hope."

* * *

**He's working on the bond again.**

She decided to message Ryan instead of pulling up a Skype session. Alyssa was across the room getting ready for bed. No video chatting with her roommate in the room ever again!

**Good.**

He was glad it was over. He would rather talk to her about it, but her texting usually meant she wasn't alone. He would get all the details tomorrow, or the next time he could talk to her instead of messaging.

**My bodyguard is sad she didn't get to hurt anyone.**

Hope smiled slightly. Alyssa was hoping for a bit more action and made no secret of that fact. Once Hope put aside her ridiculous behavior, she realized she didn't mind being around the other witch. She was even thinking about jogging with her again the next morning.

**I am too.**

She laughed out loud, she couldn't help it.

 **You're so bad**.

He smirked.

**Good thing you like bad boys.**

She snickered.

**Are you referring to yourself?**

**Who else**?

**I don't know, I mean, when was the last time you did something really bad?**

**Oh, I have my moments.**

She grinned and leaned back. She loved when he was like this. She couldn't wait to see him again.

**Tell me more when you get home.**

**Not now?**

**Don't tease me when I can't see you.**

**Miss Mikaelson, you aren't entertaining naughty thoughts about this bad boy, are you?**

**I love you, Ryan.**

She couldn't keep up this stream of conversation. Whereas _he_ was undoubtedly in his private office at the moment, _she_ was sharing a room with someone. She couldn't get too worked up because there would be absolutely _no_ relief.

**You are.**

He smirked. He knew her. She wanted him, right then and there, and since she couldn't have him, she was cutting their conversation short.

**I love you too.**

**See you Friday?**

**Yeah.**

**Can't wait.**

* * *

Jogging wasn't that bad.

In fact, Hope decided to jog all the way to her family's mansion after school that Wednesday.

She was really hoping when she opened the door, Wendy would be waiting for her with whatever she stole.

Opening the door however, she immediately noticed the sound of the alarm beeping.

Walking to it with dread in her stomach, she pressed the code.

The final beep sounded as she deactivated it.

Even with that evidence, she still walked around the house looking for any signs of life.

There were none.

No magical presence. Every room seemed to be untouched. If anything had been moved, it was all back where it belonged. In the kitchen, most of the items she purchased were gone. The ones Wendy would've been able to easily carry, anyway.

She sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, sighing, knowing what it all meant.

Wendy had given her answer loud and clear.

No.

_Darn it._

This also meant she had to call Ryan.

Maybe she should've talked to Josie about Wendy, or even Jade. Clearly Wendy went to Jade for help, and Jade asked Josie to help her help her friend. Maybe the other girls could've helped convince Wendy?

Or maybe that would've sent Wendy on the run much sooner than now.

Not that Hope wasn't sure of where the witch was heading. There were only so many places Josie could hide Wendy. The Lockwood Estate was the only place left.

She contemplated waiting and talking to Josie first, but she remembered Ryan's words: Wendy had already killed some people and she didn't care. Josie couldn't know she was protecting a killer and that might put her in danger that Hope hadn't even considered until this very moment.

No, she wouldn't talk to Josie. She had to tell Ryan immediately.

After she spent so much time arguing to preserve the life of the witch, she felt defeated that she was back to square one. But she couldn't endanger anyone else.

She tried her best, offered Wendy a second chance, but if Wendy didn't want to be helped… then she had to be stopped.

She pulled out her phone, running a hand through her hair before she pressed the button to dial the familiar number. She needed to get this over with. Lizzie asked for her help with homework that afternoon, though she said it needed to be after four o'clock for some reason. She would make the dreaded call, and then help her friend.

"Hey," Ryan's voice rang through the phone loud and clear.

"Hi…" she said. "So, there's something I need to tell you."

* * *

Wendy plopped down on the luxurious couch with a sigh.

The Lockwood Estate hadn't changed much at all from how it looked ten years ago. She actually felt more at home here than she had any place else. She lived there off and on with Diego during her imprisonment.

Feeling a pang as she thought about him, she pushed those thoughts away.

He was dead, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Well, except maybe kill the person responsible. But she didn't have a way to get close enough to him. And, really, returning Josie's help by killing her father?

If she could get away with it, she would do it in a heartbeat.

Hope Mikaelson thought she could actually _help_ her. It was laughable. The only help she needed was to get as far away as possible from this place, with as much cash as she could muster.

She couldn't judge the tribrid too much though, considering _Jade_ , her best friend, thought it was possible to get her to seek out help too. Did the vampire _really_ think Wendy would _ever_ seek out help from Alaric Saltzman and Caroline Salvatore? That conversation had gone nowhere last weekend but something in Jade's voice let Wendy know she already knew before she asked.

At least Hope's offer came with bags of goodies. She was getting really tired of living on crackers and water.

A sudden sound brought Wendy's head up.

She created a magical alarm around the place to give warning if anyone approached. She did the same at the Mikaelson mansion but didn't run when she saw it was Hope approaching and not Triad.

Had Hope decided to come here to try again?

She stood up and made her way to a window, trying to see outside without moving the curtain.

It was Triad.

 _Shit_.

She didn't have time to grab more than her emergency bag, the one with her burner phone, weapons, and a snack.

They were probably surrounding the house already.

Thankful she hid the device elsewhere, she bemoaned the loss of the other supplies Mikaelson had given her as she made her way through the house.

Fortunately, she knew it like the back of her hand, so she actually had a prayer of getting away.

And if someone tried to stop her, then she would make them regret it.

* * *

"Report," Clarke practically barked into his headset.

"Target got away," came the reply. "Two casualties."

He swore, disconnecting the call.

At least the team knowing Wendy was definitely in town proved they weren't on a wild goose chase.

They had been keeping an eye on The Lockwood Estate anyway once Clarke figured out Josie was involved. While he couldn't be positive, he wondered if she would know the security code since that was an escape for the Salvatore School.

He didn't know anything about a Mikaelson family mansion though.

To say he was annoyed at Hope for withholding vital information was an understatement. If she had just _told_ him while he was still in town, he could've been part of the unit going in for the capture. He could have Wendy in custody and be nearly done with this entire mess.

Instead, he had two more deaths on his hands and the target was at large again.

But he knew none of this was really Hope's fault. He should've known better.

How many times had she mentioned the value of life? Right down to the portrait hanging in their living room. Hell, she spent last Saturday evening trying to convince him to help Wendy instead of turning her over.

She didn't work for Triad, she hadn't been trained, but he shared everything in his hope that she one day _would_ become a full-fledged agent. He shouldn't have involved her at all. He knew everything that went down at the Lockwood Estate wasn't Hope's fault. Those agents could've died even if they had known about the Mikaelson mansion. He decided he wouldn't tell her about the agents he lost. While he wasn't _happy_ with her actions, he didn't want her to blame herself for their deaths.

Since Hope had given over the information, he knew she was done. She finally accepted that Wendy might be more trouble than she realized. He knew she would still try to convince him to help her if they captured her. But with the new casualties, he knew there was no way this would end peacefully.

Hopefully now that Wendy and Josie were out of safe houses, it was only a matter of time before they tracked the witch down and he could be done with the case once and for all.

With the proof he needed that Josie was helping Wendy—how else would she get security codes to those houses?—it was time to talk to Caroline and Saltzman. Perhaps with them talking to Josie, they could find Wendy a lot sooner than later.

* * *

The instant Jade tapped her knuckles on Josie's door, it swung open.

Josie grasped Jade's wrist and yanked her inside, her eyes giving away her panic.

"We've got a problem," Josie said, holding out the burner phone to show Jade the messages.

Jade took the phone from her, cursing to herself as she looked through.

"Wendy needs a new safe house," Josie continued, pacing back and forth, throwing her hands up. "And we're out of options!"

"Crap," Jade mumbled, mind racing. She really wished Wendy had accepted when she told her about Doctor Saltzman's offer. When her friend refused, she was even _more_ wishful when she found out Hope had given Wendy another option for help. She _really_ wanted Hope to get through to her. Alas, Wendy wouldn't even entertain the thought.

"Think, Josie, think," the brunette mumbled to herself as she continued to pace.

She stopped suddenly and looked up.

"We can _compel_ her a place to stay," Josie exclaimed.

"Like, compel who?" Jade asked, suddenly very wary of this plan.

"A teacher, maybe?" Josie frowned in thought. "What about Mrs. Garcia?"

"Why her?" Jade wondered. That was their Spanish teacher, though not one of her favorites.

"Since we have her together, I can run interference while you _talk_ to her," Josie said, warming to her plan.

Jade shifted uncomfortably. She didn't relish the thought of doing this. Helping Wendy get out of town? She would do that in a heartbeat. But compelling, _manipulating_ , someone to get them to do what she wanted them to? Using vampire powers that she shouldn't _be_ using. Powers that might not even work right?

"For how long?" Jade asked.

"Until we can get Wendy safely out of town," Josie said. "So, sometime next week?"

Jade shook her head. "I'm not strong enough for that. My compulsion is limited at best. I've been surviving on bunny blood, remember?"

"Then take some of my mine?" Josie suggested.

"No," Jade shook her head. "That's too dangerous."

"I'm not telling you to take it from the vein," Josie said. "I'll just mix it in with some bunny blood. You'll barely taste it, so it should be fine, right? Plus, it's the only way right now. We probably should've done this from the start. Why didn't I think of it before now?"

Glad she _hadn't_ thought of it from the beginning, Jade hastened to reassure her girlfriend.

"Don't beat yourself up," Jade said. "This'll be over soon anyway, right?" Not much longer, she hoped. Next week, Wendy will be gone and Jade could get back to living some kind of normal life.

"Right!" Josie grinned brightly.

There was a knock at her door.

"Yes?" Josie called out.

The door opened and her parents stood there.

"Hi," Josie smiled at them. "What's going on?"

"That's what _we_ want to know," Caroline said, crossing her arms.

* * *

Josie felt like she was being interrogated in some Law & Order episode and her parents were the detectives on the case.

They brought her to Dad's office to sit and "chat".

"We know," Alaric said. "You've been helping to hide Wendy. There are only a few people who have the access codes to both the Mikaelson mansion and the Lockwood manor, not to mention your mother's house if that was, in fact, the first place Wendy stayed."

She was at a loss for words momentarily. She scrambled to come up with some kind of excuse to cover her tracks. The dread inside made her worry this wouldn't end well.

"She's a witch right?" Josie asked innocently. "Wouldn't she just be able to use her magic to turn off the alarms? Why would you think I'd have anything to do with it?"

Alaric leaned back, staring hard at her.

Between her father and her mother's matching looks, she knew she was busted. They could always tell when she or Lizzie was lying, though Josie thought she had gotten better at it over the years.

"Josie," Alaric said.

The disappointment in his tone nearly killed her. She hated seeing that look on his face.

"Wendy has gotten herself into a world of trouble," Caroline said. "At least part of that is our fault because of what we did. We want to help her but, in order to do that, we need to find her before Triad does."

Josie looked down at the table.

"She's hurt people," Alaric says, glancing at Caroline, reiterating with his eyes that he didn't want to mention Wendy's kills. She may not agree, but he didn't want Josie feeling responsible for any of those deaths. None of that was her fault.

"She needs to be stopped," Caroline finally said, narrowing her eyes at Ric since Josie wasn't looking at them. She felt that Josie needed to know everything, but he still wanted to baby their teenager.

"Why aren't you saying anything to Hope?" Josie tried to deflect all this attention from herself. " _She_ knew Wendy was in town."

"We already know what Hope did," Alaric said. "Clarke told us all about it when he called to inform us what you were up to."

Josie bit her lip. So, Hope came clean to Clarke. Of course she did. And, _of course_ , Clarke was the reason she was in this predicament at the moment.

 _Jerk_.

"This isn't about Hope," Caroline said, face stern and unyielding. "This is about you, and you _lied_ to my _face_ , Josie."

"I'm sorry, Mom," she said, choking on the sudden lump in her throat. "I was just trying to help her, I swear!"

"Then help her by letting _us_ help her," Caroline said. "Where is she, Josie?"

"Gone," Josie said quickly. "We're all out of safe houses. It's over now. She left and we don't know where she went."

Both of her parents leaned back, sighing.

She saw a trace of suspicion in their faces, wondering if she were telling the truth or not.

She actually _was_ telling the truth.

She had no idea where Wendy had run off to while she waited to hear Josie and Jade's next plan for her.

The only thing she _was_ certain about was that she was _pissed_.

She hated Clarke even more than she already did, and she honestly didn't think that was possible.

She was going to keep helping Wendy alright, help her get out of town and escape Triad and the ass that was Ryan Clarke.

Only a few more days left.

And on Saturday, she would make sure Triad stayed off Wendy's tail for the entire day.

She already had a plan.

But first, she needed her magic.


	12. Us Js Stick Together, Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I own nothing but my own words._

He sat, staring up into the night sky, the stars shining brightly overhead.

This was the second time he sought out his mother and she provided this setting for their discussion.

He wondered if it meant anything or was his paranoia causing him to read too much into it?

"My son," she said, "I expected to hear from you much sooner."

Clarke wasn't one to cower anymore, but he felt like he was doing just that. Hiding. He put off seeing her for a week because he was afraid. Much like he feared his father whenever he failed him, he too feared his mother. She never gave him any reason to be afraid of her, but it was ingrained in him from the very beginning with his father.

He didn't want to fail her. He didn't want to disappoint her. And he couldn't take it if she rejected him the same way his father had.

"I'm sorry," he forced himself to say, lowering his head in shame. "You told me to be cautious with my new powers and I wasn't."

"You were only curious," she said. "No damage was done."

He looked up quickly, surprised and relieved as her words definitely lacked the bite of any anger.

"But you see, do you not, what could happen if proper restraint is not exercised?" she asked.

"Yes," he nodded.

"Your Hope has the right way of it," she said. "The only way you will learn to control it is to use it. Just don't be too eager as some things can't be fixed as quickly."

"So, you're not angry?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head with a hint of a smile.

Hearing that, a real answer, he relaxed slightly. She wasn't angry with him. She wasn't going to reject him.

Not yet, anyway.

"Something still bothers you," she stated.

He searched his thoughts, trying to find the best way to explain.

Besides Hope, his mother was the only one he felt free to discuss anything and everything with. So when it came to something he needed to discuss _about_ Hope, his mother was the only one he thought could help. That was the only reason he had braved seeing her after he made a mess with his powers last week.

"I know how important life is," he said. "As my mother, you're the creator of all life, and I'm doing my best to honor that. I know I've killed before, and that I will very likely have to kill again. I won't kill because I want to, but because I have to. If I didn't, others could suffer. But…am I wrong? Should death never be the answer?"

If so, then Hope was right.

"Nothing is truly immortal. All life ends in death," she said. "But life begins again. It's a never ending circle. The mountain lion kills to survive. Is that wrong?"

"No," he said. "So, does that mean Hope is wrong?"

"No," she said, showing amusement for the first time. "It means you _disagreed_ , but neither of you are wrong. You both want to preserve life, just different lives."

He nodded. She made sense. But still…

"That's not the part that is bothering you most though, is it?" she said. "She kept her plans to herself instead of telling you."

"I know she _thinks_ she had a good reason…"

" _Talk_ to her," she said. "That is the greatest advice I can give."

"But…"

"Without communication, how are either of you to know the other's thoughts?" she asked.

 _How indeed_ , he thought.

* * *

_Brrrriiiiingggg_.

Students shot up out of their seats to head to their next class.

Josie took her time packing up her books as she nodded at Jade, who hurried to the front of the room to talk to Mrs. Garcia.

She noticed Maya packing her books up slowly while glancing curiously at Jade.

 _Darn it_.

Maya would probably remember that Jade couldn't stand Mrs. Garcia. There was no way she would willingly approach the woman unless she was called up to do so, which meant Josie had to think fast.

"Oh hey, Maya!" Josie said, waving her hand to get her attention.

"Uh, Josie," Maya nodded. "Hey."

Josie picked up her books and approached her. She stood so Maya couldn't look at Jade and Josie at the same time.

Maya waited for the brunette to say something but Josie just stood there smiling at her.

"Did you need something?" Maya asked.

Maya glanced at the front of the room again. Was it her imagination or was Mrs. Garcia smiling at Jade? Jade was smiling at her too. Since she was dating Jade at the time, she knew Mrs. Garcia didn't like Jade's attitude. Jade was pretty good at Spanish, speaking it better than most of the students in the class, so she didn't take kindly to the teacher hammering her down on enunciation. Jade tried to make a joke about it, attempting to create a friendly comradeship with the teacher. Mrs. Garcia wasn't that type of teacher. She preferred to keep her students at a professional level. She saw Jade as very disrespectful. Ever since, Jade did her work and steered clear of the woman.

"Uh, yes!" Josie finally latched onto the only thing they had in common. "My Dad."

"Your Dad?" Maya asked, pulling her gaze away.

"He's still seeing your mom, isn't he?" Josie asked.

Maya shrugged, picking up her books and hugging them to her chest, "I guess. It's not like I see them together much. Not since that night at the Grill."

"Oh yeah, girls' night out," Josie supplied.

"More like, another night of work for me," Maya said.

"Right," Josie said, nodding.

"Well, I have to go," Maya said.

"Right, right," Josie nodded some more. "Go ahead. See you later!"

"Uh," Maya said, confused. "Right."

As Josie watched, Maya walked _slowly_ out of the room, glancing at again Jade and Mrs. Garcia as she went.

She didn't like the way Maya was watching Jade. Maya _did_ know more about Jade than anyone else at the school—like the fact that Jade was a vampire. Josie wasn't sure if she should be concerned or not. At least she had her powers back again though!

Clenching the coin last night, she never felt more relieved than she did when they returned. She immediately siphoned the wall and made her pillows float around her room. She would only be able to practice in secret—no one could know she took her powers back if she wanted to stay under the radar. And she would return the powers safely to their hiding place once Wendy was gone once and for all.

Jade was currently compelling Mrs. Garcia so the teacher would know that her cousin's daughter—Wendy—would be coming to her home after school. That she was to open up her home and her heart to the girl, allowing her to stay in her guest room. Jade also compelled the address from the woman. As soon as this conversation was over, Josie would use the burner phone to pass the location on to Wendy.

In the meantime, there was no way Maya could know what they were up to.

_Right?_

* * *

Jed gripped his phone in his hand tightly before tossing it in the grass, anger and frustration splayed across his face.

"Hey, J," Jade said, bending down to pick up the phone. "What's wrong?"

She tried to hand it to him but he ignored it and stalked to the bleachers. He sat and sprawled back, tossing an arm across his face to cover his eyes from the sun.

Jade sighed. Yet another thing was bothering Jed that he wouldn't open up about. Maybe she should message Josie and tell her to come back to help talk to him. Josie was being paranoid about Maya so she went to keep an eye on her. Jade thought Josie was acting a little crazy—it probably had something to do with her parents reading her the riot act over the Wendy situation—but if Josie wanted to keep an eye on Maya, so be it. She wasn't feeling completely comfortable around Josie at the moment anyway. The animal blood had mostly done its job in hiding the drops of human blood Josie mixed in, but she knew it was there. It was like an extra shot of seasoning that woke her taste buds. She was trying not to think about how much she wanted more. It did its job though—the compulsion on Mrs. Garcia would hold.

"My parents," Jed finally said.

Jade's breath caught. Was he finally going to open up? She slid onto the bleachers next to him and sat quietly, waiting.

"Or rather, my mom," he said. He dropped his arm and sat forward, glaring at the bleachers under his feet. "Spring break is cancelled. At least for me. _Again_."

"I'm sorry," Jade said cautiously. "If it helps, I'll be there. We can hang?"

"I haven't seen them since last summer," he muttered. "At Christmas, Mom bailed on me. She didn't need to show me off at her business party after all. Or maybe she just decided I wasn't good enough to show off anymore."

She reached out and gently clasped his shoulder in comfort.

He sank against her hand, still looking down. "I wish I could've gone. Instead I stayed and… Alyssa."

He cut off and she let the silence grow until she offered, "Do you want to talk a—"

"We hooked up," he scoffed. "By now I'm pretty sure everyone at the school knows."

"What happened?" she asked softly, knowing whatever it was, he desperately needed to get it off his chest.

"What always happens," he said bitterly. "We messed around before and it was always just that, nothing serious, but I thought since we finally went all the way, that was it. We'd officially be together, you know?"

"But it didn't mean that," she guessed.

"Nope!" he said derisively. "Because just like everybody else I've ever cared about, she didn't want me." He snorted. "The occasional booty howl, sure, but…"

"She's a bitch."

"Yeah, and I knew that," he said. "I just didn't think. Forgot who I was."

"Hey, hey," Jade reached her arm around his shoulder and pulled him into her side. She wanted to punch Alyssa a few times when he sank against her again, clearly needing _someone_ to care about him. "You are wanted right here, J. You're one of my best friends. I may not ever want a booty—what's it?"

"Howl," he snickered.

" _That_ ," she laughed. "But you'll always be one of the Js. And us Js stick together, right?"

"Yeah," he said. He pulled away, taking a quick breath. "Thanks, J."

She nodded as he got up and grabbed the soccer ball to resume practicing like nothing had happened.

Sports was his favorite escape, she had already learned that about him. And now she was learning how lonely he truly felt. It made her question further what was causing his rift with Ethan. Jed desperately needed the pack. A wolf needn't worry about ever being alone when they had a pack. But he had opened up enough today so she wouldn't push him any further. He would open up when he was ready. And maybe then she could help him make peace with Ethan and all would be well with the pack and him once again.

But, until then, the Js would be there for him.

* * *

" _Hey!"_

" _Hi…so, there's something I need to tell you," Hope said, bracing herself._

" _What's up?" Clarke asked._

" _I know where Wendy is," she said. "I mean, I_ knew _where Wendy was…and I think I know where she's going now."_

" _Where?"_

" _The Lockwood Estate," she said._

" _How can you be sure?" he asked, but she could hear sounds in the background. She knew he was already sending people there._

" _Because she was here…before," she said. "My family owns a mansion in Mystic Falls. Josie knows the code here too since the school can use it in an emergency. You wouldn't have known about that before… Anyway, I figured out she was here and I talked to her. Kind of."_

_There was silence on the other line and she hated it. She needed him to say something so she knew what he was thinking._

_When the silence got to her, she continued, "I tried to help her, I gave her until today… but she ran again. She didn't want help."_

_And still, he didn't say anything._

" _Ryan, please say something?"_

" _Thanks for the information."_

" _Ryan, can we—"_

" _I'll see you when I get to town."_

" _When—"_

" _Friday."_

"HELLO! EARTH TO HOPE!"

Hope's head snapped up completely.

" _Finally_ ," Lizzie said, with a hand on her hip, clearly annoyed. "Are you going to help me, or what?"

Hope sat up straight, pushing back her memories of the phone call from yesterday. He hung up after letting her know they would talk when he got to town. She had to wait until tomorrow to talk to him. And she had no idea what she would say.

"Sorry," Hope sighed. "Proceed."

"Nope," Lizzie stalked over and sat across from her. "Not until you tell me what's on your mind so you can get past it and pay attention. I do _not_ need to get blown up again because your mind was elsewhere."

"Wait, blown up?" Hope asked.

"Yeah," Lizzie let out a breath. "MG had me make a moving disk of fire and something went wrong. Air got into it, I guess? It exploded. If MG hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here now."

"Oh my God, Lizzie," Hope said, horrified. "Maybe we should ask for a different assignment? This is too dangerous."

"It _shouldn't_ be though," Lizzie said. "We're in our final year. We should know how to control the spells so they don't blow up. Literally! If I can't do this, then should I even pass?"

"Is that why you asked for my help?" Hope asked.

Lizzie nodded.

"But why couldn't we do it until after four o'clock yesterday?" Hope had too much on her mind yesterday after that phone call to bother asking then.

"Well, like I said, the spell blew up," Lizzie said. "MG was fast but not fast enough."

"What happened?" Hope said with dread.

"I burned my arm," Lizzie said, patting the sleeve covering it today. "It hurt and MG insisted I take his blood, and I nearly didn't because of your premonition but…"

"It was _just_ a dream, Lizzie," Hope insisted.

"So I took his blood," Lizzie said. "And since he promised not to let me die, he slept on my floor and followed me around. And I didn't want to work on fire again until _after_ twenty four hours was up. Just in case."

"I'm so sorry," Hope said.

"I'm fine now," Lizzie said haughtily. "MG might have a kink in his neck though."

"I'll keep an eye out," Hope said. "I promise. I'll stop it before it goes out of control."

"You will, after _you_ tell _me_ what's wrong," Lizzie said pointedly.

"Ryan's working on this case, and I insisted when he captures the culprit he try to help her instead of giving her over to the people who hired Triad to find her," Hope explained. "He said he would do what he could, but he would do whatever was necessary. Even if that meant killing her."

"Okay?"

"I figured out where she was. I offered her a choice to seek out help, I promised to protect her from Triad," she said. "And I didn't tell him."

"Of course you didn't," Lizzie scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're _you_ ," Lizzie said. "Hope Mikaelson, hero, champion, and most importantly, _always_ right."

"That's not true!"

"Really?" Lizzie said. "You didn't think to yourself, 'I'm right and he's wrong. I just have to do it my way and I'll prove it to him.' How's that working out for you?"

"What was I supposed to do?" Hope exclaimed. "He wouldn't listen to me."

"Didn't he?" Lizzie asked. "Or did _you_ not listen to _him_."

"Since when do you defend him again me?"

"Since you're upset because he's upset," Lizzie said. "That's why you're here but not really here, isn't it?"

"Yes," Hope said, tossing her head back and squeezing her eyes shut. "After I told him what I did, he didn't say anything. Just thanked me for the info and 'see you Friday'. That was it. Oh my God." Hope put her face in her hands. "He's mad at me. I ruined everything."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Lizzie rolled her eyes. " _I'm_ supposed to be the dramatic one. Shrek may be annoyed, but he'll get over it. Anyone who's spent half a day around you knows how stubborn you are. He knows who you are and why you did it. Just talk to him when he gets to town. Everything will be fine. You'll see."

"Am I really that…"

"Narcissistic?" Lizzie scoffed. "Yeah, yeah you are."

"Takes one to know one," Hope said.

"Oh, I know," Lizzie said. "Now, before I forget, I need your help next week."

"Sure, homework duty daily!" Hope said.

"No, not that," Lizzie said. "The Mystic Falls Spring Festival is next Friday, and I will need all the help I can get. It has to be _perfect_ if I'm going to have a prayer of impressing the judges for Miss Mystic Falls."

"Thank god I don't gotta go through _that_ again," Hope said.

"No, but as reigning winner you _do_ have to make an appearance."

"Rats!"

"You digress," Lizzie said. "I need help every day after school and all day Friday. Will your exams be over by then?"

"Uh, yeah," Hope answered her question hesitantly. Did she just volunteer to help by answering her?

"And if Shrek's in town by then, bring him along too," Lizzie insisted.

"He usually doesn't arrive until Friday evening, but maybe?"

"Ask him if he can get there earlier," Lizzie said.

"I will," Hope said.

"Do it now," Lizzie said. "The earlier you ask, the more likely he'll be able to."

"Lizzie, I uh…" She didn't want to talk to him until she saw him tomorrow. She wasn't sure what to say to him.

" _Fine_ ," Lizzie huffed, pulling out her phone. "Give me his number. I'll ask him myself."

Hope typed it into her friend's phone.

"Shrek," Lizzie said brightly into the phone when he answered. "Will you be in town _next_ Friday morning?"

"No…" Clarke said, recognizing the blonde's voice even though he hadn't recognized the number. "But I can be. What's wrong?"

"Not a thing," Lizzie said. "Meet me—and Hope—at town square by eight that morning. You just volunteered to help me set up the spring festival."

"Wait, I said I _can_ be there, meaning _if_ it's important," he hastened to explain.

"Good thing this is important," she said impertinently before she hung up.

"He'll be there," Lizzie announced.

Hope shook her head, laughing just imagining the look on Ryan's face after that phone call.

"Now, are you going to help me with this pesky fire element, or what?"

A B C

"Anymore side effects?" Hope asked later as she and Lizzie sprawled across Lizzie's bed, exhausted from all the serious talk and magic.

"Some nausea earlier this week, but mostly drowsiness now," Lizzie said.

Josie entered the room and stiffened upon seeing Hope.

"Is Hope gracing our floor tonight instead of MG?" Josie asked, deliberately turning her head away from the tribrid and heading across the room.

"No, I'm just hanging out," Hope said, staring intently at Josie. "Are you okay?"

"I am," Josie shrugged. "Not too sure about Wendy though."

"Wendy?" Lizzie asked, confused as the name came out of left field.

"Why, what happened?" Hope asked, sitting up.

"As if you didn't know," Josie said.

"I had to, Jos."

"No, you didn't."

"I tried to help," Hope said. "But she didn't want it and…I'm sorry, but she's dangerous. I couldn't let anything happen to you."

"So you did this for _me_?" Josie asked incredulously.

"Yes," Hope nodded. "And for her, and for anyone else who gets in her way. But once they capture her, I'm still going to insist she be rehabilitated. I'll do everything I can to protect her."

"How are _you_ going to protect her from _them_?!" Josie snapped. "They'll do whatever they want with her, they aren't going to care what you say _or_ who you're dating. _I've_ been helping her. I was never in _any_ danger."

"I couldn't take that risk," Hope said.

"Welp, guess it doesn't matter anymore," Josie said flippantly. "Triad raided the Lockwood Estate yesterday."

"And Wendy?" Hope wasn't surprised she hadn't heard from Ryan with any updates. She figured she would learn everything tomorrow.

"She got away," Josie sat on her bed in a huff. "I don't know where she is, no matter _how_ many times my parents try to get it out of me. You know, Clarke called Mom and Dad? After drilling me yesterday for her location, they finally believed me when I said I didn't know where she was. We ran out of safe houses, so she probably did what she should have done to begin with and got as far away from here as possible."

"I'm not going to apologize for worrying about you," Hope said.

"Then why didn't you just come to me from the start?" Josie asked. "We could've worked together."

"I…" Hope realized she never once thought about involving Josie, just like she never once thought about involving Ryan. She decided to handle everything by herself. Maybe there was more truth to Lizzie's words than she cared to admit.

"Because you wanted to be the hero," Josie said. " _Again_. I get it, Hope, but some things just aren't about you."

"This was never about me," Hope denied vehemently. "This was always about doing the _right_ thing."

"Are you done?" Josie asked wearily. "I'm tired of arguing. I had enough of that with my parents."

"Jos…"

Josie shook her head and turned away.

"I guess I should go then," Hope said to Lizzie, feeling like she made a complete mess of everything.

"I'm going with you," Lizzie said, crawling out of bed to follow her. On the way out the door, Lizzie whispered, "And maybe you can fill me in on _that_?"

* * *

Maya _really_ wanted to ignore what she saw at school yesterday. She probably would have completely forgotten about it by now, but Josie kept following her around. Plus, she saw Jade talk to Mrs. Garcia after class _again_ today.

Something was up.

Her second job was to keep an eye out for anything suspicious of the supernatural variety. Thus far she simply collected a second paycheck for her internship and checked in with the mayor every Wednesday. Nothing ever _had_ been suspicious…until the only vampire she knew at her school starting acting strange.

Because of her past relationship with Jade, and the friendship she knew her brother and cousins had with Josie, she was hesitant about contacting the mayor. Maybe it was nothing. The Mayor even _told_ her he didn't mind if something didn't pan out. In Mystic Falls, one could never be _too_ careful.

But she wanted more proof before she said anything.

And maybe she could talk to Ethan or Landon at Family Game night tonight and they could persuade her that she was being delusional.

"Seriously, who puts pineapple on a pizza?" Landon asked, making a face before opening the next box and spying a loaded pepperoni slice. "Score!"

Maya practically danced to the counter before snatching a slice with the delicious fruit.

"Pineapple _deserves_ to be on a pizza!" she exclaimed around a mouthful.

"I'm with Landon," Ethan said, grabbing and passing out bottles of water. "It's a fruit, Maya."

"So is tomato," Maya replied sassily. "None of you seem to mind _that_ on your pizza."

"Speak for yourself," Chad said, snagging a slice of buffalo chicken from a different box. "Not a tomato in sight!"

"Now _that_ is disgusting," Maya said. "Buffalo sauce is just…nasty. And way too salty."

"Are we going to start this game, or what?" Mac called from the other room.

"Just a minute, Mom!" Ethan called out.

"What're we playing anyway?" Landon asked around his mouthful.

"Charades!" Chad said gleefully.

Landon nearly choked.

Maya groaned, "Great. This is what happens when our family goes from three to seven. No more monopoly!"

"Raf, there's supreme on the end," Ethan says, nodding over his loaded plate. "That's your favorite right?"

Rafael barely looked at him, just picked up a bottle of water and a bag chips.

"Alright, then," Ethan sighed. "Time for Charades."

"I'm on Mom's team!" Maya called back over her shoulder as they walked together to the living room.

"Oh no, you don't get to choose," Seylah said, holding up a small box. "We shall choose names."

Everyone groaned.

Seylah drew the names for each team of three—she would be the judge and timer while the others played.

The teams were Ethan, Rafael, and Maya against Mac, Landon, and Chad.

"Let the games begin!" Seylah said.

An hour later, Landon was frustrated beyond belief. "Chad, have you actually ever _played_ Charades before."

"No," Chad said simply. "But I think I'm getting the hang of it."

"How hard is it to mime a brush?" Landon complained.

"You move a brush back and forth," Chad said as he pretended he was stroking the air around him.

"Just pretend you're putting it through _your_ hair," Landon said.

"But there are other brushes besides _hair_ brushes," Chad said.

"It's okay, boys," Mac said to her teammates. "I figured it out. We're still in the lead."

"Barely," Landon muttered under his breath.

Ethan was taking his turn at the moment. He spread his hands open face up in front of him.

"A book!" Maya called out.

Ethan pointed at her and moved his hand as if to say, "Go on."

"Um, um," Maya looked at Rafael who had barely spoken the entire night. "Come on, Raf, help me out!"

Rafael shrugged.

Ethan acted like he picked up the book and put it on a shelf.

"Books, lots of books," Maya guessed. "A shelf. A book shelf!"

Ethan kept putting books on the shelf, nodding.

"A library!" she shouted.

Ethan turned and motioned again, telling her more frantically to "Go on!"

"A library, um, um," Maya shook her head. "I don't know!"

Ethan started putting books on the "shelf" again and then he pointed to himself.

"Jock," Maya said. "Wolf."

Ethan shook his head and gave her a *look*.

"No, library…" Maya thought hard. "Um. Um. LIBRAR—"

"Time!" Seylah called out.

"—IAN!" Maya jumped up and then realized Seylah had called time in the middle of her answer. "I got it! Half of the word was out! I got it! I got it! I got it, right?..."

Everyone looked to Seylah to decide.

"Since you got half the word…" Seylah hedged.

"Yes!" Maya jumped up and high fived Ethan. "We did it!"

"Whew, I think I need a break," Mac said, lying back on the couch.

Rafael took that excuse to get up and leave the room.

"I'll second that," Landon said, going to sit on the comfy chair so Chad couldn't sit next to him.

"How's the academy?" Mac asked Chad.

"Oh, it's a lot of fun," Chad nodded enthusiastically. "I'm getting faster at the obstacle course. Only need to shave off ten more seconds, and I'll complete it!"

"That's great, bro," Maya said.

"Got a couple of bulls eyes the other day," Chad boasted proudly. "Thanks to Seylah, I'm more accurate than eighty percent of my class."

Landon still couldn't believe they allowed Chad access to firearms.

He noticed Seylah leaving the room in the same direction Rafael went and he wondered if he should follow…

When he made a move to get up, he saw his aunt shake her head at him.

 _Okay_. He guessed he wasn't going anywhere yet.

"Rafael?" Seylah asked, entering the kitchen and seeing the boy pulling a couple slices of supreme pizza from the box. "Use the microwave," she insisted. "I'll get you some snacks."

"You don't gotta…" he noticed her already putting a plate together. "Do that."

"Nonsense," she said. "Now, put that in the microwave and sit and eat. I haven't seen your touch anything but that water all night."

He hesitated but sat down at her bidding.

"You are not having fun?" she asked as she sat across from him.

"Just not in much of a fun mood tonight," he said. "Thanks for everything though."

"You are upset still, I know," she said. "You will get passed it."

"Will I?" he asked, not surprised she knew everything that was happening. She always had this uncanny ability to just _know_.

"Yes," she said. "Because family is very important to you, yes?"

"Yes," he agreed. "Landon is very important to me."

She shook her head, "I do not mean Landon, as you very well know."

"This has been nice and all, but Landon really _is_ my only family."

She regarded him with those wise knowing eyes and he looked away after a minute. He couldn't keep looking her in the eye, not after he said those things.

"Well," she said as she stood up to open the microwave door once it shut off. "I consider you family."

She set the plate in front of him. "And I had hoped you felt the same."

He sighed and looked up at her, his eyes sad. "I do, Seylah. I'm sorry."

She sat next to him and patted his hand. "You are going through some hard times right now, yes?"

He nodded.

"Now is the time you need family the most," she said. "And you've a house full of them."

He laughed and scoffed at the same time.

"Don't be too quick to turn away from them," she said. "Even the one you feel has betrayed you has thought only to watch out for you."

"I doubt that," he said.

"Listen to Seylah," she said. "I know a thing or two."

"Now," she continued, rising and walking to the fridge. "The time has come for dessert. Finish your dinner, then come join us. It is your favorite."

"Chocolate cake?" he asked, showing sudden interest.

She pulled out the cake platter with flourish.

"With chocolate frosting," she smiled, nodding. "And a few strawberries with whipped cream on top."

He smiled and lowered his head.

"On second thought, I will send a slice for you," she said. "Ethan will bring it."

Rafael looked up swiftly, readying to protest.

Seylah raised her eyebrows.

"Seylah, I can't… not yet," Rafael looked down. "I need more time." He knew that Ethan was a part of his new family unit, and he did like the guy before everything went down at school. He knew that eventually, given time, he would be able to get past it. But not now, not yet.

"I will send Chad instead," she said.

"Thank you," he said.

Seylah made her way into the dining room and put the cake on the table. Removing the lid, she sliced two pieces.

"Chad," she called, holding both of them out to him. "Take one to Raf, and keep him company." She said with a wink.

"Oooh," Chad said, admiring the cake. "Yes, ma'am."

"Landon?" Seylah held out his piece.

"Thanks," he said, taking it. "I'm gonna go out front with this, get some air."

"I'll join you!" Maya said, bouncing next to him and holding out her hand. "A big slice, please! Make sure there's a strawberry!"

"Of course."

Maya joined Landon on the front porch swing.

He eyed her giant slice. "Are you sure you can finish all that?"

Maya eyed him, "Never doubt my cake eating capabilities."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said, taking a bite out of his cake.

"So…have you seen much of Josie and Jade lately?" she asked casually.

"Uh, no," he said, shaking his head. "I don't really know Jade, and I haven't spoken to Josie much since we broke up and I got back together with Hope."

"Huh, so the girl I used to date is now dating the girl you used to date," Maya said. "Small world."

"The smallest," Landon agreed.

"So, I sorta think they're up to something, but I'm not sure," Maya said.

"Well, Josie was a great girlfriend…" he trailed off, remembering how she sometimes got a little _too_ jealous of any attention other girls gave him.

"But…?" she prodded.

"That's it," he shrugged. "She was a great girlfriend. There was the whole black magic thing that happened, because of _Clarke_ , but after that she put her magic away because she didn't trust it anymore. She knew she had a problem, and she fixed it. That's just the kind of person she is."

"You're sure?" Maya asked.

"Yeah," he said. "But now that you mention it, maybe I _should_ talk to her. Just, you know, check in or something. Let her know I meant it when I said I still wanted to be friends."

"And you don't know anything at all about Jade?"

"Well, she was trapped in a prison world for ten years with her humanity turned off," he said. "But it's back on now, and, well, she's free. Everything seems fine."

"I see."

Maya did see. She saw much more than she ever wanted to.

It looked like she was going to have to help herself to the Mayor's database for the first time since she accepted her internship. She needed to find an address for her Spanish teacher and check in on her.

She really hoped everything really _was_ fine.

* * *

Josie was almost prepared for Saturday. She just needed one more person on board to help with the plan to distract Triad so Wendy could get to her meeting without being spotted.

She went searching for Jade to help with the last detail. When she found her, she realized it was going to be much easier than she thought.

"Their name is Jordan," Wade told Jade. "I'm going tomorrow morning, taking the bus. We decided tonight to meet, so I'll buy a ticket in the morning."

"I'm happy for you," Jade said, brightening. Her friend had come a _long_ way from the invisible or picked on misdiagnosed 'witch' to the 'fairy' who helped take down the greatest evil the school ever faced _and_ learned that he wasn't quite as alone as he thought he was in his lack of romantic feelings. He was well on his way to finding a true companion, someone he could create a non-romantic relationship with and feel comfortable in his own skin for once. "Don't be nervous, Wade."

"I'm not," Wade said quickly. "I've not pretended to be anything other than myself. Except for the whole fairy thing. If Jordan didn't like me, they wouldn't have invited me."

"Jade! Wade!" Josie smiled as she approached to join them. "Hi, guys."

"Hi, Josie," Wade said, nodding.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Jade, I need _one_ more person to help tomorrow," Josie said. "I was wondering if maybe you'd be interested, Wade?"

"Help with what?" he asked.

"He's kind of _busy_ tomorrow," Jade said, giving Josie a warning look. She did _not_ want to involve Wade in any of this.

"We're playing a prank on someone who's been trying to hurt a friend of ours," Josie said despite Jade's warning.

"Jade's right though," Wade said. "I'm going out of town tomorrow."

"If I paid your bus fare, would you be willing to go with just a _few_ changes?" Josie asked.

"Will I still get there on time?" Wade asked.

"You will."

"Then sure," Wade shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"Wade, you don't have to," Jade said. "It's our problem, not yours."

"It's okay, Jade," Wade said. "You're my friend. I want to help."

"Thanks, Wade," Josie said with a sweet smile. "Just meet us behind the school at nine thirty tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Sure," Wade said. "I better turn in now. It's getting late."

Josie knew for a fact it was barely eight o'clock, but Wade was very different from your average student.

"Good night!" Josie said.

"Good night," Jade said with less enthusiasm.

As soon as Wade turned the corner, Jade turned on Josie.

"What was that!?"

"I needed someone else to help," Josie said.

"Not _Wade_ though," Jade said. "I don't want him involved!"

"It's too late now," Josie said. "Besides you and Wade, we've got Garcia and Jed. Wendy will be all clear tomorrow."

"Jed?" Jade asked, her voice rising slightly.

"He was all for it," Josie said, nodding. "He said, and I quote, 'Us Js need to stick together.'"

"Of course he did," Jade said, resting her forehead on her palm. If she were still human, she knew she would feel a headache coming on.

"Relax, Jade," Josie said brightly. "Everything will work out! Don't worry."

Jade knew this was all on her. Wendy came to her, and she asked Josie to help. Josie was only doing what she asked her to… but Josie was taking it much further than Jade ever imagined it would go. Despite all of Jade's reservations though, she was going to keep following Josie's lead. She only had to put up with this craziness for a few more days then Wendy would be gone for good…not that she didn't want to see Wendy ever again… but, well, she clearly caused more trouble than Jade was comfortable with.

"You better be right," Jade mumbled.

* * *

Hope slid the key into the lock and opened the door. Stepping inside and closing the door quickly behind her, she tossed her keys on the small side table then looked around the apartment.

"Ryan?" she called out softly when she didn't see him. He should be here by now, and the alarm was deactivated.

"In here," she heard from their bedroom a second before he came through the open door tugging his pullover down over his head. He must have decided to change into something more comfortable when he got home.

"Hi…" she said hesitantly. She had never felt more uncertain with him. She argued with him, bantered with him, laughed with him, and loved him. But she had never kept anything from him like this. She knew he had every right to be angry with her. So the best way to start this conversation was probably with an apology.

"I'm sorry," she said, forcing herself to make eye contact with him. She tried to read his face but couldn't at first.

He gave nothing away. The look on her face was priceless. She was clearly beating herself up and worried about his reaction. She clearly knew she should have handled things differently.

Fortunately he had a couple days to think everything through. Between his own thoughts and his conversation with his mother, he couldn't stay angry with her for long.

His face relaxed and he smirked slightly, "Just how sorry are you?"

"…you're mad at me, right?" she asked.

"I was," he said as he walked around the back of the couch and sat down. "Not so much now."

She wasn't sure what to say. Was he really letting her off the hook that easily?

"Come here," he motioned for her to join him.

He didn't have to tell her twice. She sat right next to him and immediately started talking, saying every single thing she wanted to say since Wednesday.

"I know I should've told you what I figured out, and I'm sorry I didn't sooner," she apologized again. "I handled it badly, and I know I took matters into my own hands, and I'm just really _really_ sorry."

"You're stubborn," he pointed out while putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Yes!" she agreed immediately.

"Always have to be right," he continued while pulling her against his side.

She rested her head on his shoulder, "So I've been told already this week."

"You were trying to protect her," he said. "I get it."

"And you were trying to protect everyone else _from_ her," she said. "I get _that_. I just wanted to…"

"Give her a chance," he finished for her.

"I should've talked to you," she said. "I should've trusted you would hold off until I could give her that chance."

"Honestly," he said, leaning back and pulling her more firmly against him. "I don't know what I would've done. So maybe we were both wrong…and both right."

"No," she shook her head incessantly against his chest. "I was wrong."

"Hope, look," he nodded to the painting on the wall when she glanced up at him. "You spent weeks working on that. I was right by your side when you saved that animal. I know exactly what it meant to you. I know _why_ it meant so much to you. I saw you cry after you killed the Pixie Queen. I know you struggled with feeling like a monster. So no, you weren't wrong. You were being yourself. And, yeah, I may have spoken with my mother about all of this," he finished sheepishly.

"What did she say?" she asked softly.

"That all good relationships rely on communication," he laughed. "Imagine that, she finally gave me a straight answer."

"Had to happen some time," she murmured.

"So, I promise you this," he said. "I will do my _best_ to preserve all life—whether in sending monsters to the pit, or capturing and rehabilitating a witch, werewolf, or _even_ a vampire. I won't go for the kill first. I will _not_ promise there won't be any death, but it will be a last resort. I don't really want to get on my mother's bad side there, nor _your_ mother's."

"She would've liked you," she said.

"What's there to dislike?" he said with a grin. "I know she was probably a paragon of sainthood and protector of all life, but—"

"Actually, she wasn't like that," Hope interrupted. "She was an alpha. She fought and made hard choices, a lot like the ones you have to make. She became an honorable person who fought for her family and for her pack. She also never gave up on my father, and, believe me, I _know_ that was hard not to do. But she didn't start out that way. She never kept anything from me. All the mistakes she made, all the senseless deaths she caused, she told me all about it, just as she never lied to me about my family—the infamous Mikaelsons. Not everyone starts out being the person they become. She strived to do better, to become a better person. Everything my mom went through made her into this incredible woman, who made sure to teach me the value of life so I never once took a single second for granted. _That's_ my mother."

"And you still think she would've liked me?"

"As you said, what's not to like?" she grinned at him.

He smirked in reply, but then his smile dimmed slightly. "There _is_ one other thing though."

"Yeah?"

"Since you don't work for Triad," he said, "I think its best I keep business where it belongs. At the office. Except for Lizzie's research."

She nodded slowly. She knew what he was saying. He wouldn't talk to her about missions anymore, not that he ever did much of that to begin with, but the one he _did_ discuss involved her friends and her school. She didn't like this new decision one bit, but she pushed back the need to argue with him and actually _listened_ to him and _thought_ about it.

"I _really_ want to argue," she said. "But I won't. You promised to protect her as much as you can, and I trust you. I know you will. So…okay. No more shop talk at home."

"That looked oddly painful to say," he remarked.

"I'm being a good girlfriend and learning to communicate and compromise," she grumbled. "Don't make it any harder than it has to be."

He laughed out loud.

"Stop," she groaned into his shoulder.

"Okay," he said. "How about we go for a ride?"

"Where to?" she asked.

"Well, we started something last week, and I've since spoken to my mother on the subject and she wasn't angry," he said. "So, I'm willing to experiment more."

"With your powers?" she said, her interest piqued.

"Just don't let me blow up the planet," he said.

"Ha, not like you can do that," she said, then looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Right?"

They didn't bother hiking a trail this time. Instead he drove her as far into a covered forest area as he dared before they got out and looked for a good spot to sit and work.

"So, I've been reading ahead in my Chemistry of Magic textbook," she said, clasping his hand as they walked.

"We've been studying the elements of magic," she said. "It's a lot easier to remember the four of those compared to the normal human chemistry class with an entire periodic table of elements."

"I bet."

"We've had water, air, and we're working on fire—which Lizzie is horrible at and might beat you in blowing up the planet first if I don't supervise," she joked. "After exams, we're going to finish up fire, and then work on the final element."

"Earth," he guessed.

"Yep," she nodded. "And while I was glad I didn't read anything about cracking open the ground, there _were_ spells about _growing_ things."

"I can't do spells," he reminded her.

"No, but you have power over the earth," she said. "You can just emote and _make_ it grow."

"So, where do you want to start?"

"How about with something small?" she said. "Try to grow a flower?"

"A flower."

"Yes!"

He shook his head.

"What's the point? Am I supposed to fight a monster by throwing a bouquet at it? What if it caught the thing?" he smirked. "Would I be forced to attend the next monster wedding?"

"Yeah, and make sure to check their registry at Monsters R Us before buying a gift," she rolled her eyes. "We're just starting _slow_ with a flower. Maybe next we can try a whole tree. I bet a monster wouldn't like a giant fern shooting up under it."

"Sounds rather uncomfortable," he said.

She stopped and pointed, "There."

"It's a dead patch of ground," he remarked. "Not even the grass is growing. It's not getting enough light because it's too surrounded."

"Exactly, which makes it perfect to try," she said. "So make a flower grow out of it."

She said to use different emotions, he remembered. So which one should he use?

"Love," she said as if she were reading his mind. "Use love this time."

It was amazing how easily it came to him, much easier than anger and fear. Loving her was as easy as breathing, which is why he focused on everything he felt for her before he pushed those feelings out gently, using it to mold the earth and bend it to his will.

She grinned as a flower grew out of the ground, tall and vibrant and beautiful.

"You did it!" she said, bouncing. "How did you know irises are my favorite?"

"I didn't," he said. "They're mine. It means hope." Knowledge was something he would always have in abundance, down to the meanings behind most flowers. He never bothered to pick a favorite though, not until she came into his life.

"It's also the inspiration behind the fleur de lis," she said.

"I knew that," he said. The fleur de lis symbolized royalty, power, honor, grandeur, faith and unity. Being from New Orleans, she would be quite familiar with the symbol.

"So how about that monster bouquet?" she asked.

Looking at the ground again, he focused his emotions and pushed a bit more than before until the flowers started growing in abundance.

"Keep going!" she encouraged.

Still not sure how this could ever be helpful in a fight, he indulged her until they were practically standing in a valley of irises.

"Can you do a different flower?" she asked.

"I've got a better idea," he said. He wanted to have a _bit_ more fun with it.

Focusing, he added a dash of sassiness to that love emotion, then commanded something quite different to form.

"You're not funny," she said, stepping back as a lush green vine ran across the ground and started climbing up her shoes.

"It's better than making flowers," he said with a smirk, pulling the vine back and practiced making it snake up and around a tree trunk. "Now _this_ could be useful."

She walked up to the tree and pinched a piece of the vine.

It immediately snapped in half and hung limply.

"Might want to work on the strength of those vines before trying it out in the field though," she said with a wink.

He made a face at her.

"How about a tree?" she said, looking around. "What else can you grow?"

The thought of trying something bigger made him wary.

"Last time we went bigger, I splintered the ground," he said. "Leave it there for now."

"Okay," she said with a smile while squatting to pluck a few of the perfect irises from the ground. "We'll keep working on it, but…progress!" she exclaimed, standing up with a small bouquet in her hands.

Most of the way home, she held the bouquet in her right hand and _his_ hand in her left. She was so happy everything had turned out okay with the Wendy situation she didn't want to let go of him, which prompted her to make a snap decision when they got home.

Since he didn't make time to cook or pick up anything _to_ cook for dinner, they stopped at a drive-thru on the way home. She sipped her vanilla milkshake and munched on her fries while feeding some to him because he was starving.

When they got home, he still had to eat but she was done. And she needed to have a _very_ important conversation.

"Eat," she insisted. "I'll be right back."

She took her phone into the bedroom with her and started texting as she looked through the drawers for something comfortable to sleep in.

**You know how you owe me?**

***I* owe *you*!? As if.**

Hope rolled her eyes at Alyssa's reply. Yes, she owed her for flirting with her boyfriend. No matter her intention, she definitely did.

**I'm staying out tonight.**

**Your funeral if you get caught.**

**I won't get caught, especially since I'll be returning from a jog in the morning with my dearest roomie.**

**Fine. Town square. 8:30AM. Do** _**not** _ **be late.**

Hope tossed her phone on the dresser top and grinned.

Enlisting Alyssa's help was unfamiliar territory but thus far it had worked in her favor. She grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom.

Knowing he would hear the shower sound and probably figure out what it meant, she wasn't surprised to find him sitting on his side of the bed on top of the covers with his sketchpad when she returned to the bedroom.

"You're staying?" he asked, looking up.

"Well," she said, pulling up the comforter and sliding underneath. "I figured it out with Alyssa. I have to meet her early at town square, but… yeah, I wanted to stay."

She turned on her side to face him, "Will you hold me?"

He smirked, tossed his pad on his night stand, and slid under the covers too.

Sliding up close to him, she rested her head on his chest with her arm stretched across. He had only removed his pullover, and she loved cuddling with him in his t-shirt. It brought back some of her favorite memories.

Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed the top of her head.

"What's wrong?" he asked, feeling he way she clung to him.

"I was worried," she admitted. "That you would hate me. Because of what I did."

"It doesn't matter what you do, Hope," he said, repeating the same words he said the first time he told her he loved her. "I will always love you, no matter _what_ you do. I love you. Always and forever."

"Are you sure? Because who knows when I might screw something up again," she said.

"Give me time," he laughed. "You won't be the only one."

"Well, whenever you do, just know I'll always love you too," she said, gripping him tighter. "No matter what."

This was exactly what she needed—a night spent holding onto each other, especially after the emotional week she had. She loved him so much. She never wanted to lose him. And no matter how self assured and strong she was, she still needed his reassurances.

She needed him.

"Just don't forget who messed up first," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, you," she laughed, poking him.

It was too early for sleep, but it didn't matter because they spent the next couple hours talking and snuggling together until she finally did fall asleep feeling safe and loved, wrapped in his embrace.

* * *

"Nice outfit," Lizzie remarked.

"Shut up," Hope mumbled under her breath as she moved into the next pose on her mat. She usually wore something a bit more form fitting to yoga. Instead, she was in pajama pants and one of Ryan's simple black t-shirts.

By the time she stumbled out of bed, she had fifteen minutes to get to town square. So she left her current pajama pants on and grabbed the t-shirt he laughingly pulled over his head and tossed at her. She couldn't wear her pajama top to convincingly jog in, so it was either his shirt or spend time she didn't have trying to find something else.

"It works for jogging," she grumbled before forcing herself to breathe the way their instructor told them to.

"And to hide what you really were doing this morning," Lizzie said, smirking as she copied Hope's movements.

Alyssa snickered.

"By the way," Hope whispered to Alyssa. "Don't wait up tonight either."

"Again?" Alyssa said with an eyebrow raised.

"Guess that means all is well in the swamp," Lizzie said, actually happy to know everything worked out between them. She knew how worried Hope was, and if Hope's answering smile was anything to go by, he didn't hold her actions against her.

"Nice," Josie said with a slight glimmer of resentment. "Meanwhile _some_ of us are grounded and can't go anywhere." Then she thought about how Clarke's plans would probably be changing during the day, and she hid her smile.

"Well, _I'm_ going to start working out the details of the festival," Lizzie said. "I need to be prepared when everyone shows up to help on Monday."

"Maybe Alyssa could help with that?" Josie suggested, glancing pointedly at the witch. If Alyssa wanted to become friendlier with Lizzie that would be a good place to start.

" _So_ not interested," Alyssa said. "Working on college applications today."

"Just don't apply to Roanoke College," Lizzie said.

"I thought you were going to Wytheville," Hope said.

"Wytheville is only a two year, might as well start at a four," Lizzie said. "And the curriculum is far superior at Roanoke."

"You mean they offer a more rounded study of witchcraft," Hope said.

"That too," Lizzie said.

Alyssa followed their conversation with interest. She was eyeing Randolph-Macon College, which was on the other side of Virginia, but maybe she should consider other options…

"Roanoke is where I'm hoping to go," Hope said. It was close enough to the Salvatore School _just_ in case, and she loved the campus. Plus, as she mentioned to Lizzie, the secret witchcraft curriculum that only supernaturals were aware of _was_ superior. She had a lot of power, and Aunt Freya felt the witches working there were best equipped to help her develop it even further. It also had plenty of human courses as well, she only needed to pick a major.

"Really," Lizzie said with interest. "Well, I'll put you down for room assignments then."

"Not staying on campus," Hope said.

"Even better," Lizzie said. "I grew _up_ in a dorm. Anything has got to be better than another dorm."

"Uh, I'm living off campus _with_ Ryan," Hope said.

Josie involuntarily scoffed under her breath, but she wasn't loud enough for anyone to hear her.

"And listen to the heinous sounds of your midnight couplings?" Lizzie made a face. "Pass. Never mind."

"You know, Roanoke has perfectly good human studies too," Josie mentioned. "You know, for me? So maybe _I_ could—"

"But you want to do pre-med," Lizzie interrupted her.

"Well, yeah," Josie said.

"Didn't you apply to Virginia Tech?" Lizzie asked. "They have an actual medical school attached to it. Going somewhere else makes no sense, especially when you don't have your magic anymore and I'm picking a college _for_ their magic program."

"Right," Josie said. "But I can take classes anywhere to get the credits I need to be accepted into medical school."

"She's right, Lizzie," Hope said. "She _can_ do that. And, I mean, who's to say she won't decide to eventually take her powers back?" She smiled at Josie encouragingly. She really _did_ wish Josie would take them back. She knew it was a struggle to control the darkness, but she firmly believed Josie _could_ learn to control it with practice.

Josie returned Hope's smile, feeling for the first time in a long time like she wasn't on the outside looking in.

"Do what you want," Lizzie said with a shrug. "But let it be known that I, Elizabeth Saltzman, did absolutely _nothing_ to hold you back from pursuing your dreams. That you, Josette Saltzman, decided on your own to follow me to college—if that's what you do."

"You act like I'd blame you if things didn't work out," Josie said.

"Wouldn't you though?" Lizzie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey," Hope said quickly in a bid to put a stop to the impending argument. "With Josie there, it'll be _much_ easier for us girls to get together."

"Speaking of," Alyssa spoke up, "All these _favors_ I keep doing, when do I get _my_ reward? Girls' night is when?"

"You really think karaoke is a reward?" Lizzie asked, amused.

Alyssa and Hope both made a face because she had a point.

"And _why_ ," Lizzie said. "So we can watch you suck face with guy after guy again? And you judge me for _my_ choices."

"At a karaoke bar?" Alyssa scoffs. "I'm sure the guys are a different breed there."

"Still human, at least," Lizzie deadpanned. " _But!_ " She looked hard at Josie. "I'll tell you right now, there will be _no_ Pat Benatar."

"What?!" Josie nearly lost her pose. "You can't just—"

"I'm sure _Mom_ wouldn't agree," Lizzie said. "But pick something from this decade. It's been years. Everyone already knows love is a battlefield."

"Too far, Lizzie," Josie said, shaking her head. "Too far."

Hope laughed.

"What?" Lizzie looked at them both. "Don't even try or I'll hit you with _my_ best shot."

"How about next Friday?" Alyssa asked, getting back to her original question.

"No go," Hope shook her head. "That's the night of the Spring Festival. I think we'll all be too busy for that."

"The week after that then?" Josie suggested.

"Works for me," Lizzie shrugged.

"Same," Hope said. She made a mental note to let Ryan know she wouldn't be available that night. He might decide to come in on Saturday instead.

"You're picking the place, right?" Alyssa asked Josie. "Not like any of us have ever been."

"Well, it's a _bar_ ," Josie said. "So I haven't been yet either. But I'll pick one."

"And I'll figure out what we'll be doing for the _after_ party," Alyssa smirked.

"The what?" Josie asked.

"Not like we're gonna spend the entire night listening to randos droning on about their boring love life," Alyssa said.

Hope and Lizzie grinned at each other. Since Alyssa said it, they didn't have to. Hope was hoping they could all get away with _one_ song before moving on. She really didn't like singing, especially not publically. She might actually _need_ a drink to get through that one.

Josie sighed. She knew the other girls weren't as into the idea, but she was sure once they got there they would have more fun than they thought they would.

"You'll like it," Josie insisted. "Just give it a chance."

"Ladies," the instructor called out. "Can we hold the chit chat until _after_ class, please?"

"Yes, ma'am," they all said at once, trying not to laugh.

"You'd think she would've said that sooner," Lizzie whispered.

"Shh!" Hope hushed her while grinning.

Josie tried to relax into the next pose and clear her mind, but she kept remembering the way Hope jumped to defend her choices. Two days had passed since they argued about Wendy. While Josie had no intention of changing any of her plans, she thought that maybe she could say something to let Hope know she still wanted to be friends and set the tribrid at ease.

As they were leaving class, Josie caught up with Hope away from everyone else.

"Hope, I wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I handled everything, especially with you," Josie said.

"Its okay, Jos," Hope was quick to forgive.

"I know I went about it all wrong," Josie said.

"I know you only wanted to help her," Hope said. "Believe me, I get it."

"So we're okay?" Josie asked.

"Of course," Hope said, giving her a quick side hug and a smile.

Josie returned her smile before leaving quickly with a big wave.

She had to hurry up and meet with everyone. Her father had only allotted her enough time to get breakfast after yoga before she had to report to his office. She couldn't be late or she would raise suspicion.

And that was the last thing she wanted to do.

* * *

Jed looked at everyone and snickered.

This was one _helluva_ prank.

Where Wade and Jade once stood, there were now two identical figures of a familiar man with dark brown curly hair, standing somewhere over six feet. Jed knew he also looked the same.

"Why does this guy look so familiar?" Jed asked, pulling out his mirror to look at his new face. He guessed he wouldn't be able to do anything to smooth the hair out since it was all an illusion. They all 'wore' different clothing and he had a dark hoodie over a t-shirt with blue jeans. The hoodie was pulled up over his head, but the curls could still be seen at the front.

"Don't worry about that," Josie said, pushing his question aside. "I made these for you guys."

She passed out a vial of herbs to each of them, along with two cards—identification cards to be exact. She gave an extra set to Jade to pass along to their fourth 'volunteer' when Mrs. Garcia arrived.

Stepping back, Josie almost laughed out loud.

Three different versions of Ryan Clarke stood in front of her.

Apparently her powers were working better than ever.

"Why don't I _feel_ any taller?" Wade asked, looking down. "Even though I am taller?"

"Because you're _not_ taller," Josie said. "It's just an illusion, Wade. Everyone sees you as taller, but you're still really short."

"Not _that_ short," Wade corrected.

"Right," Josie was quick to agree.

"Loafers?" Jade looked down at her feet where her combat boots were but the illusion hid them from everyone including herself. At least the rest of the outfit wasn't terrible. A long sleeve forest green button up opened at the top over black jeans—she got the feeling Josie picked that outfit because she knew Jade would be more comfortable in it, even with the illusion.

Josie shrugged and winked. She had to come up with four different outfits to make four different people blend in with the same face. Loafers seemed like a Clarke thing.

"What about the bus ticket?" Wade asked, then pressed the center piece of his glasses up on his nose. "Does the illusion wear glasses too? I don't want to look like I'm poking myself in the face."

He could see that his outfit consisted of a light grey polo shirt over khakis, but he couldn't see his face. Maybe he should borrow Jed's mirror.

"Yes," Josie nodded, before looking through the fence, hoping Mrs. Garcia would hurry. She knew the rest of them could easily jump the fence and get out of there without her help, but she had to put the illusion on their teacher before she could leave to meet her father. "We have help from one more person," Josie said. "She'll be here soon to pick you guys up."

"Who?" Jed asked.

"A teacher of ours," Jade said. "She's pretty cool."

Luckily, Jed didn't take Spanish with them, especially since she was going to have to compel the woman right in front of Jed and Wade. She needed to do it in a way neither of them realized what she was doing. She already compelled most of the details to the woman but there were a few things she needed to do to get everyone where they needed to go today.

"She'll give you the cash for the tickets," Josie explained. She felt a little bad about having the woman use her own money to help them, but Wendy had promised to reimburse her when she finished her business that day. Josie just had to help her first.

"So look, use _this_ ID when you buy the ticket," she held up the one with Clarke's face on it.

When they read his name, they _might_ recognize it, but they already agreed to everything so hopefully they were well on their way before they noticed. She knew neither boy had been around Clarke much. They were all in different places when fighting Malivore and everyone left separately. The only time they were probably in the same room as each other was the Sweetheart Dance, and Clarke definitely had _not_ taken the time to talk to either of them then.

"Wade, buy the ticket to Roanoke, but get off at the Lynchburg rest stop and go visit your friend then," Josie instructed, sending him west. "Jed, buy a ticket to Richmond, but get off at Appomattox." The wolf would head east.

Since she spoke to her before yoga, Jade already knew she was going south to Durham. Jade was taking a train instead. She wouldn't need to wait for a stop. She could jump off and vamp speed back to Mystic Falls, no problem. Jade would compel Mrs. Garcia to head north to Waynesboro. She would get off at Sweet Briar.

"Once you get to your stops, make sure you're _alone_ then sprinkle the herbs in the vial over your head," she continued. "The illusion will go away. Then you book your fare to come _back_ to Mystic Falls using the _other_ ID. Make sure to use the names on those cards, not your own."

She was glad she paid attention when Hope was making fake IDs for them on girls' night. She made fake cards for each of them with Clarke's name and face, as well as fake cards with their own faces but with different names.

"When you get to the service center, do _not_ all go in at the same time. Quadruplets would draw too much attention. When you're coming back home, try to keep your heads down so no one will see the real you on camera. We want the prank to work, but we don't want anyone to know you were involved."

"Taylor Young?" Jed read the second card. "Do I really look like a Taylor?"

"It doesn't matter," Josie said, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the car pull up right where it was supposed to. "There's your ride! Now, go! Thanks again!"

She waited until Mrs. Garcia got out of the car as instructed to repeat the incantation for the illusion spell. She went with the old tried-and-true this time: dress shirt, black slacks, and black blazer.

"You got this?" she called out to Jade who had already hopped the fence using her vamp powers.

"Yeah!" Jade called back.

"Good luck!" she said and started running back to the school.

Jade quickly made her way to her teacher and compelled her, repeating everything Josie said while giving her the cards and vial.

Fortunately, Jed was too busy climbing the fence to notice Jade's compulsion.

He was distracted even further in fascination as he watched Wade fly over the fence.

Watching what was essentially _Clarke_ fly with fairy wings was actually pretty amusing, but she was too nervous to laugh.

As they all climbed into the car, Jade crossed her fingers. Anything could go wrong. She knew there was a chance Triad could catch up with any of them though Josie had thought of pretty much everything. She still wished Josie hadn't involved Jed or Wade, but it was too late to change anything now.

She swore that if Wendy wasn't out of town by this time next week, she would kick her out herself.

* * *

"Sir, you… haven't made plans to travel today, have you?"

Clarke raised an eyebrow and spoke into his Bluetooth, "No. Why?"

"We've been keeping an eye on the manifests for outgoing buses, trains, and planes for any mention of the target or anything that may raise suspicion."

"Standard procedure," Clarke stated.

"The same name showed up on four different manifests. Yours."

He stood up and grabbed his jacket, "Video?"

"Video confirmed the tickets were each purchased by you…or someone with your face."

"She's making a run for it," he said, leaving the apartment. "You said four different ones?"

"Three by bus, one by train. All heading in different directions."

Clarke cursed internally. With the two operatives that were killed, they didn't have enough man power in town to send teams of two after each and maintain ops in town too.

"Destinations?" he asked.

"Richmond, Waynesboro, and Roanoke by bus. Durham by train."

"I've got Roanoke," he said. He would have to go alone. At least he would survive if attacked. He didn't need backup like the rest of them. "Send teams of two to Waynesboro and Richmond. See if Agent Evan's team in North Carolina is anywhere near Durham."

"If not?"

"Then I guess you're heading south," Clarke said, wanting to curse again. He didn't want ops to leave Mystic Falls, someone should stay, but Durham being by train meant it was moving faster and could very well be the one Wendy was on.

But really, she could be on any of the four.

"Evans isn't available."

"You know what to do."

Hopping into his car, he put it in drive and took off for Roanoke.

Pressing a button on the dash, he waited for the Bluetooth to connect then found Hope's number.

"Hey," she said sweetly, "I just finished sparring with Ethan. I'll be there soon."

"Plans changed," he said. "I won't be back 'til late."

"Wendy?"

He hesitated. He told her he wasn't going to tell her about missions anymore. He had to stick to it.

"Right," she said with an accepting sigh. "You can't tell me. Do you know when you'll be home?"

"Not sure."

"I'll help Lizzie for a while, then go home. I'll be there when you get there," she promised.

"I'll try to be quick," he said.

"You do that," she said. "I love you."

"I love you."

* * *

"Do you need a ride?"

Hope put her phone down and shook her head.

"Thanks, but no," she said. "I'm not leaving yet. Plans changed."

"So you don't have to go?" Ethan asked. "Want to go a few more rounds?"

"Not really," she huffed, sitting down in the grass. She had more energy before Ryan called. Now that she knew she wouldn't spend much time with him that day, she was disappointed. He couldn't help it though.

Ethan flopped in the grass next to her, "Something on your mind?"

"Not really," she repeated.

When he gave her a look, she sighed and laughed to herself, "It's just been a really long week."

"You can say that again," he said.

"The wolves giving you trouble?" she asked.

"Only two," he said. "But those two, man."

"You'll figure it out."

"Jed, _maybe_ ," he said. "But Rafael?"

"Ah, I see our weeks had a common denominator," she said.

"Raf still causing you trouble too?" he asked. "Hopefully he breaks the bond soon."

"I'm…actually worried about that," she admitted.

"Him breaking the bond?" Ethan asked. "Why?"

"I know with the sire bond he's completely loyal to me," she said. "But I feel like its worse with him than any other hybrid. He told me this week he didn't want to break the bond because even though he couldn't see me, he could _feel_ me. Like, he knows where I'm at and likes its, and isn't that kind of…creepy?" She looked at him in question. Before he could reply though, she shook her head. "That sounds so silly now that I've said it out loud. Rafael has always been nice and sweet. He's my friend."

"You think it sounds silly because he's never acted like that before, but he's also never been a hybrid before," he said. "I _will_ say since the one thing we _do_ know about hybrids is they are sired to their creator until they break the bond, he's only feeling what he's feeling _because_ of the bond. Once it's broken, I think it'll go away. He'll go back to being Raf, just with a bit more of a bite."

"You really think so?" she asked.

"I'm banking on it," he said. "I'm not sure he'll ever forgive me for beating him as alpha until he breaks the bond and can think straight again."

She nodded. That made sense. She didn't know why she got so worried this week. Maybe it was Ryan's paranoia getting to her.

"Surprised you're talking to me about this though," Ethan said. Usually he was the one to open up to her and ask for advice, not the other way around. "Not that I mind. I figure it's because I'm worried about him too."

"That…and if I told Ryan I had misgivings he would tell me to stay away from him forever, and I can't if I need to help him," she said. She promised Ryan full disclosure on all things Rafael, and she _had_ told him everything that happened. She wouldn't make things even messier by letting him know some silly thoughts she had that she wasn't sure about. "And the last time I told Lizzie anything about Raf, she accidentally told Ryan. So…"

"It's alright, cuz" Ethan said, reaching out to ruffle her hair with a laugh. "I'm no stranger to girl talk. Sister, remember?"

"Hey!" she exclaimed, wacking his hand away. "Hair destroyer aside, she's lucky to have you."

"And she knows it!"

"I'm lucky to have you too," she said. "Thanks, E."

"That's what family is for," he said with a wink. "Anytime."

* * *

Clarke was frustrated.

His operatives were better than this but not today. Today they were outsmarted by a thieving, murdering witch.

The "Clarke" decoys weren't at any of the destination stops, though they did miss Richmond by mere minutes.

They hadn't picked up on the names until all transportation had already departed, which meant they also couldn't reach any of the mid-way stops before they were hit either. His contact operative somehow made it to Durham before the train arrived but found no one either. The crystal was used at all locations and, still, nothing.

If it were a government related job, he could have rerouted local law enforcement in the areas _or_ put a halt to the buses and train instead of playing catch up. Since it was a private job, he couldn't call for it no matter how much he wanted to. Triad was his. The government gave it up though they were none too happy about it, but there were strict rules he had to follow—such as no using government resources for outside jobs. It was a pain in the ass, but then they wouldn't even _have_ the Wendy job if he hadn't broadened Triad's customer base.

He could have _tried_ to overstep his bounds and told the police about a murderer on the loose. Except there was every chance they would consider his organization—without the government backup—acting too much in a vigilante capacity.

He also didn't want four different cities searching for _his_ face as a murderer. All he needed was an APB put out statewide and things wouldn't be too much fun for him.

So, they had to do it the old fashion way and try to get there first.

Now they had to figure out which decoy was Wendy and track her until they found her new location.

Four different decoys meant four different people had to be involved though. There was no way Wendy was powerful enough to create those illusions without help.

No doubt Josie and Jade were involved. If he had to guess, Jed was the fourth.

At this point, he was pretty sure there were two people other than Wendy who knew where she was. Before he started searching the areas, he needed to see what he could learn.

And he knew exactly who to start with.

"Clarke, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Alaric said, answering his phone.

"Tell me, do you know where your daughter is? Because Wendy led us on a wild goose chase today and I'm pretty sure I know who helped her."

"Sitting right across from me, just like she has all day," Alaric said, with a glance at Josie across the room. "She's grounded."

Josie looked up but went back to work, trying to keep a straight face. The not knowing was killing her, but she wasn't allowed to be on her phone during this study torture session. It sounded like Clarke was calling to talk about _her_. To tell on her again. Well, tough luck. Try convincing her parents she was involved this time.

"I find it hard to believe she wasn't involved," Clarke argued. "Four different decoys, heading in four different directions, all made to look like me and all got away. Which _also_ tells me there's a good chance Wendy got away too."

"Then I guess you can leave my school and my daughter alone now," Alaric said, turning away from Josie and speaking lower. "I'll handle my business. You handle yours, Agent Clarke."

Alaric hung up before Clarke could say anything else.

"Everything alright, Dad?" Josie asked.

"Yes," he said.

She went back to studying but he couldn't stop thinking about the conversation. He hated to admit it, especially since it was because of Clarke, but for the first time he didn't trust her.

It didn't sit well with him.

He didn't have proof, just a gut feeling.

And he never ignored a gut feeling.

* * *

After spending far too long combing the streets of Roanoke, followed by an equal search at the Lynchburg stop, Clarke decided it was time to head home. The other teams were reporting the same thing on their ends. They needed time to rest and regroup, and then come up with a new game plan to track her.

And he was in desperate need of some quality time with the love of his life.

She was waiting for him when he got home, leaning against the door jam of their room, and watching him with that smile of hers that took his breath away when she directed the full brilliance of it right at him.

The slight dampness of her hair that clung to the fabric of one of his dress shirts she wore indicated she showered before he arrived. Her bare legs on display with her black panties peaking through his shirt tails signified she was as ready for bed as he was.

"How was your day?" she asked with that gentle smile.

"Rough," he said.

He went to her, reached out, and leaned down into a hug. She held him tightly as he rested his head on her shoulder until the height distance gave him a kink in his neck. Only then did he sink to his knees and wrap his arms around her waist, resting his head against her stomach.

"That bad, huh?" she said, tracing her hands back and forth along his shoulders.

"The worst," he exaggerated. Not really, he had _much_ worse before, but he was frustrated.

Correction, he _had_ been frustrated. Holding her was wiping it all away.

She ran her fingers through his hair, and he leaned his head back to meet her eyes.

"Wanna talk about it?" she offered.

"Not really," he said. "I just want to…"

He fell silent as he slid his hands up her backside, beneath his shirt, and found the top of her panties. He slid his fingers slowly around the top edge to the front.

Her breath quickened at his gentle touches, but he let go and instead slipped his fingers up her stomach beneath the shirt, bunching the material along with it.

Resting his lips against her stomach, he pressed soft kisses to her skin.

She let out a breathy sigh and leaned back more firmly against the door jam.

"I love coming home to you," he whispered, thinking about all the long days he usually spent working during the week. He was experiencing for the first time what _could_ be waiting for him if she were with him every day.

"Welcome home," she whispered, caressing his shoulders once more.

Sliding his fingers again, he hooked them into her panties, dragging them down. They dropped to the floor as soon as they cleared her hips.

He took a hold of her thighs next and nudged them apart.

"Ryan…" she gasped his name as she widened her stance in anticipation of what would come next.

His fingers caressed her inner thighs, inching higher and higher until he found her core. Exploring her warm folds, he spread her open for him, continuing his caresses, and leaving her begging for more.

Her legs felt weak, so she grasped hold of him tighter.

"Yessss," she moaned, attempting to widen her stance further though she wasn't sure at this point how much longer her legs would support her.

Taking her left leg in his grasp, he pulled it up and rested it over his shoulder, effectively exposing her even more to him.

She held onto his head since she could no longer hold onto his shoulder, and would have fallen back against the door jam for purchase if she wasn't already pressed completely against it. He slid two fingers inside of her and leaned forward to kiss the pulsing nub of her desire. She felt off balance though she knew he would never let her fall. She also felt her need for him growing and if he didn't take her to bed soon, she might scream.

"Ryan, please," she dug her nails into his curls, knowing she was pulling him against her more firmly, but she couldn't help it. His mouth, his tongue, his fingers, it was like they were made for the purpose of giving her more pleasure than she ever thought possible. "I need you inside of me. Now. _Please_."

She may _say_ that was what she wanted, but her grip on his hair was saying something else completely. So instead, he added a third finger, spearing her open even wider as his tongue continued to work its magic. Loving her, _tasting_ her, listening to the sounds she made as he pleasured her, he adored every minute of it. He would never get enough of her.

At last, she must have realized he couldn't give her what she wanted if she didn't let go, so she loosened her grip and begged again, " _Please_."

Dropping her leg to the ground, he grinned when her limbs very nearly _did_ go out from under her.

He stood and immediately grabbed her waist, lifting her up. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, his hands sliding down her hips to help guide her thighs in place.

Intending to carry her to their bed, he changed his mind when she let go of his shoulders and reached down between them.

Turning her around so he could press her against the flat of a wall instead of the door jam, he watched as her fingers found the buttons and zipper on his jeans and quickly undid them. Sliding her fingers further south, she didn't have to go far to reach her goal.

Having his jeans constrict him no longer, he grew as impatient as she was to get inside of her. Holding her in place against the wall, he pushed at his jeans and boxer briefs just enough to release him from his confines.

She stroked him firmly, needing to feel him like this, hard and pulsating and ready for her, before she shifted up against him.

Grasping his shoulder with one hand while holding his hardness with her other, she maneuvered her body to bring him to her opening.

And then he was inside of her.

"Finally…" she breathed out with a moan, making eye contact with him.

Smirking, he grabbed her hips and yanked her hard against his. She cried out as she tightened her legs around him.

"Oh God, don't stop," she groaned out.

"Why would I?" he asked, pulling his hips back slightly only to surge forward again while yanking her hips against his once more.

"Stop talking and do that again," she demanded.

"Gladly," he said, and then kept going, slamming into her, pressing her against the wall again and again, harder with each thrust. "You know," he said between panting and thrusting, "there's a bed over there we could—"

" _Don't. Stop._ " she demanded again, gripping him harder as her head tilted back against the wall, the pleasure overcoming her.

Watching her, her mouth dropped open in ecstasy as her body was rammed against the wall in a hard steady rhythm, he decided he didn't care about a bed either. Not as long as he could be with her in this moment.

So he didn't stop—at least not until she bit down on his shoulder and screamed her release.

And then, giving into the raging fire flooding his groin, he found his own release as well.

It was good to be home.

* * *

Josie tapped her foot impatiently, waiting to hear from Wendy.

She couldn't believe how well everything was turning out!

Everyone left and returned without _one_ problem. Unless you counted Jed who was bored out of his mind and made sure to complain about it over dinner. But she didn't.

Jade had even stopped frowning at her, though Josie was pretty sure that had more to do with Wade returning from meeting his friend safe and sound.

Jade really did have a big heart, and watching her with Wade only confirmed that even more.

She loved that about her.

 _Wait._ Did she…?

No. She didn't love Jade.

At least she didn't think she did.

She glanced around the bathroom and silently begged Wendy to hurry up and answer.

She couldn't afford her sister knowing about her second phone—the burner phone she used to contact Wendy—in case she mentioned it to Mom or Dad. She also didn't want Lizzie to return to their room and overhear their conversation. Texting Wendy would take up too much time, so a quick phone call to get the pertinent details was in order.

"You did it!" Wendy exclaimed excitedly when she answered the phone. "Not one Triad agent in sight. The meeting went off without a hitch!"

Wendy couldn't believe how well everything was going since the Lockwood mess. She should probably _thank_ Hope Mikaelson. If she hadn't shown up with her preposterous idea and sent her on the run again, she would've never ended up where she was. And she might not have the duffle bag full of cash sitting in front of her.

"And Garcia?" Josie asked.

"Reimbursed and making us a steak dinner as we speak," Wendy confirmed, knowing the girls had been worried about using her host too much which was further proof they were still too good, even while they were helping her. Fortunately Josie was proving more diabolical than Jade. She knew her bestie probably didn't approve of half the things her girlfriend talked her into.

"So what's the plan now?" Josie asked.

"Garcia's driving me to Salem tomorrow," Wendy said, smirking at the irony. She found a vehicle on Craig's List she would purchase there, and then she would get the hell out of dodge—and then the country.

Tomorrow, with a short drive to a neighboring town, and everything would finally be over. Josie was glad, but not nearly as glad as she was to actually beat Clarke in this game she had been playing with him.

"Let me know if all goes well," Josie said. "Then get rid of the burner."

"Will do," Wendy said, knowing that meant she wouldn't be able to contact either of the girls again. "And, hey. Thanks for everything. I couldn't do it without you."

"No problem."

"Take care of her," Wendy said. "She'll spend all her time taking care of everyone else and forget about herself. So you have to do it for her."

"I will," Josie said with a smile. With Wendy finally leaving, she was looking forward to focusing completely on Jade. There would be _many_ date nights in their future. She would see to it.

"Take care, kid," Wendy said.

"You too."


	13. Bubbles?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I own nothing but my own words._

He woke slowly and glanced at the clock on the side table.

Eight in the morning.

They usually slept later on Sundays, and Hope usually woke first.

He lay there, deep in thought, trying to figure out what was bothering him.

The answer came fairly quickly.

Wendy.

Everything that happened yesterday.

With that first call, he took off, joining in on the hunt, and not taking the time to think any of it through as time was running out.

But _why_?

Why go through the ruse of having four different people leave using his face? If she knew how to create an illusion to change her face, why hadn't she used it before? And why hadn't she just used someone else's face and created an illusion with a name they wouldn't have been able to track? If she were going to leave town, why announce it?

It was almost like the entire plan was… a cover for something else.

Why make it seem like she was leaving town unless she was still, in fact, in town?

Wendy wanted to be in Mystic Falls. She came there for help. She didn't want to leave. Not yet anyway. It was like she was waiting for something.

What better way to get Triad out of her hair than to keep them all busy.

Which meant something went down yesterday. And the only thing he could think was she finally sold the device they were trying to recover.

Cursing internally because he knew she put a cloaking spell on it which was why they couldn't locate it before now. If she truly did sell it, there would only be two ways to retrieve it: if they captured her and interrogated (or tortured) the name of the buyer out of her, or if she died so the cloaking spell would be no more.

Because of his promise, he would have to strive for the first option.

However, his new theory meant Wendy could very well still be _in_ town, and if that were the case…

He rolled closer to the edge on his side of the bed and grabbed the tablet.

Quickly sending out orders to keep an eye on all exits out of town, he knew his team would do whatever it took to slow down everyone leaving. If Wendy tried to get out of town now that her business was done, they would catch her…assuming she hadn't _already_ left. He told them to contact local law enforcement this time too and use his name. Mystic Falls' sheriff knew who he was, and he was sure she wouldn't mind helping to track down a murderer. Plus, they weren't searching for _his_ face this time.

Opening another screen, he shot off a message to his personal assistant. Veronica would have to deal with day to day functions for the week. He was tired of this case and he wanted it _done_. Staying in town until she was caught seemed necessary at this point.

It also meant he could spend a lot of the week with his favorite person on the planet.

Tossing the tablet back on the table, he grinned and rolled back over, pressing firmly against Hope's back beneath the covers.

Bringing his arm around her, he spanned his hand across her bare stomach. Placing soft kisses along her shoulder, he felt himself stirring as he came into contact with her delectable backside.

Not fully awake, she craned her neck in her sleep, making more space for him to kiss his way up her jawline and then down to her ear.

He trailed his fingers up and traced her nipples before cupping her breast and massaging gently.

She woke moaning, her senses completely surrounded by him.

Burrowing his face into her neck, he moved his hand between her breasts, resting it there while he moved his hips gently against her from behind.

With him at her back, she was helpless to do anything but feel.

Gliding his hand once more, he made his way over her stomach until he reached her navel, then dipped between her thighs, searching out and finding her womanhood.

She shifted to allow him better access, tossing her head back against him when his fingers played against her like a pianist making a beautiful melody inside of her.

His mouth opened on her neck and he bit down gently, moving his hand away at the same time, leaving her gasping, arching and wanting more.

His hand slid down her thigh and he lifted it up. Holding her in place, he scooted closer, pressing himself even more firmly against her.

Feeling him, she raised her leg a little higher and in place so he could let go and guide himself inside of her from behind.

"Oh wow…" she moaned, melting against him.

Smirking because he knew this was new for her, he waited a moment before he deliberately moved.

Clutching her thigh, he held her against him and flexed his hips.

She tried to reach behind her to grasp at him but it didn't work. She settled for stretching her arm above her head, gripping hold of her pillow to anchor herself as she surrendered all control to him.

As her breathing increased the closer she got to her peak, he let go of her leg and slid his fingers between her thighs again. He stroked her clit as he thrust into her, using the same steady pace, until she cried out and her heat pooled against his fingers, causing his control to snap. He grasped her hip and thrust, pounding his flesh deep inside her until he came with a shout, _his_ heat spilling deep inside her.

Afterwards, they fell asleep again with his arm around her, her hand clutched tightly in his, and his face nestled in her neck.

He couldn't wait to tell her of his plans for the week but that would come later.

For now, he was at peace.

* * *

Later found her facing him and snuggled into his side, neither of them had much energy for more than that.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" she asked with a grin that lit up her entire face.

"If it's anywhere near as much as I love you, a _lot_ ," he teased.

"Wow," she snickered softly. "That was so cheesy."

"I believe the word you're looking for is _romantic_ ," he said.

She giggled into his chest. She loved lazy Sunday mornings in bed with him. She probably had a million things to do but it could all wait. He was more important.

" _So…_ " he changed the topic with a look. "This festival Lizzie's planning that she's dragging me into helping with, it's a pretty big deal, isn't it?"

"Oh, the _biggest_ ," she laughed sarcastically. "She's trying to look good for the judges. Last year she had to drop out of Miss Mystic Falls but this year she's determined to win."

"What about you?" he asked. "Any desire to wear that crown?"

"Oh, well, funny story," she said. "I kind of won last year."

"Yeah?" he said, surprised. Not that he didn't think she could win, he just didn't think it was her kind of thing.

"Lizzie roped me into running," she said.

"She has that effect on people," he said dryly.

"So I _will_ have to make an appearance at this year's event," she said. "But I don't think I have to dance again… I think… I hope." She buried her face into his chest.

"Do you need an escort?"

"Yes!" she looked up. "Are you volunteering?"

"I suppose that could be arranged…"

"If there are any problems, I'll put a word in with your boss," she said. "I'm one of his favorites."

He laughed loudly at that.

"So," he said when he quieted down, "I guess if this thing is so important, maybe I should stay in town all week to help with the festival. Gotta make sure it's perfect, right? And she could use all the help she can get."

Hope squinted her eyes at him suspiciously, "Does this have anything to do with Wendy?"

He gave her a look.

"I know, I know, you can't tell me," she looked heavenward. "But if it's _not_ work related, you do remember spring break is weeks away, right? I thought you were taking off for that to come with us girls. Can you take off two weeks so close together?"

Though why he would want to spend an entire week riding roller coasters and exploring colonial times with a group of teenage girls was still a mystery to her. The fact they would have a room completely separate from the other girls, Doctor Saltzman, and Caroline probably had a lot to do with it. But still.

"Let me worry about that," he said. "I have an 'in' with the boss too."

"So you're here for the whole week…"

"Yeah, I figure we can spend our afternoons helping Lizzie, and our evenings…"

"Doing homework?" Hope suggested because most of her evenings usually consisted of that.

"Well, I foresee a lot of time at home, but I wouldn't really call it work…"

"You're incorrigible."

"I suppose we can make time for both kinds of homework…"

"Just what every girl wants to hear," Hope laughed. "You know I can't stay here all week, right?"

"True, but you've got to spend the waking hours doing _some_ thing."

"Like we'll have much spare time with Lizzie calling the shots," Hope said.

"She doesn't worry me," he said.

"But she should."

He was silent for a long moment before he decided it didn't sit completely well with him.

"I'm staying for work," he said finally.

"Okay," she said.

"I can at least tell you that," he sighed. "Just don't interfere."

"I won't," she said firmly. "I promise."

"I know," he said, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

"We've got a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Josie asked, glad she chose to come back to her room during lunch. She was hoping for confirmation that all was well. Instead, she got something quite different.

"We can't get out of town! All the exits are blocked!"

"You mean, like by the police?" Josie asked, frowning.

"Yes!" Wendy exclaimed. "And at least one person with them was holding one of those crystal things! I think Triad knows I'm still here. It was all I could do to get Garcia out of there without giving us away."

"Okay, it's okay," Josie said, trying to calm her down while attempting to calm _herself_ down. "I'll send Jade over with new instructions for Mrs. Garcia. Just stay there until we figure out another way to get you out of here."

"Not like I can go anywhere else!" Wendy pointed out sarcastically.

"Right," Josie said before hanging up abruptly. She only had a few more minutes to message Jade before she had to get back to her father's office.

Jade cringed when she read the messages from Josie.

 _Come on_ , she moaned.

Knowing there was nothing else she _could_ do, she raced across town, a blur to all.

Stopping behind the bushes in front of Mrs. Garcia's house, she took a deep breath and walked up to knock on the door.

From her vantage point across the street, Maya frowned.

Using the mayor's records to find the address for her teacher, she felt pretty stupid standing there like she was on some kind of stake-out. Her mother was the cop, _she_ wasn't, and she had no desire to ever be one. Yet, here she was, doing the job she wasn't even sure she wanted, looking for anything suspicious happening with Mrs. Garcia.

Jade popping up out of nowhere and knocking on the woman's front door was definitely suspicious. Even worse was Jade being invited into the woman's home.

She didn't know what was going on, and she still thought she might be reading too much into it, but Jade showing up was enough for her to finally give the mayor a head's up.

Then _he_ could tell her if she was crazy or not.

"Donovan."

"Yo, it's me," she said. "I think I have something. I mean, maybe? I'm not sure."

"Tell me."

She explained everything she knew, wincing whenever she said Jade's name.

"This teacher, does she generally wear any jewelry?" he asked.

"She wears those pin things all the time? Like on her sweater."

"A brooch."

"Yeah, that _,_ " she said.

"I'll meet you after your shift tomorrow."

That he knew she also had a job at the Grill _and_ what her hours were shouldn't surprise her, but it did a little.

* * *

"Lizzie! Lizzie! Lizzie!" called out a tiny little voice.

"What can I do for you, Pedro?" Lizzie said, turning to speak to the young boy. "I've _lots_ to do today."

"That's just it," the boy said, reaching her and looking up in earnest. "I want to help!"

Lizzie's heart melted at his words. This kid had definitely grown on her since he started attending the school.

"You can't be around all the big stuff," she said. "Something might fall on you."

"I've got magic," he said. "I won't let anything get me."

"We'll be _outside_ ," she said. "Where the humans are. No magic, remember?"

"But I want to help you!"

"You can help blow up balloons," she thought quickly and figured that was the safest task.

"Really?"

"I'll give you all the balloons you could ever want on Thursday, and you can blow them all up right here!" she announced. "And ask your friends for help."

"Oh…" he deflated slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"I wanted to go _with_ you," he said.

"Don't worry, Pedro," she said. "Emma will bring all the kids to the festival this weekend. I'll be there the whole time."

"Okay!" he exclaimed, smiling before he raced back to where he was supposed to be.

"That was kind of cute," Hope said with a teasing smirk, coming to meet her friend.

"Kind of?" Lizzie asked. "That was abso _lutely_ cute! Now, let's go so we can get this mess started. Dad!"

"The bus is loaded with volunteers," he reported from the entrance to the school. "We're just waiting on you."

"Excellent!" Lizzie said, walking briskly forward, clipboard firmly in hand. "We've got a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it!"

"Lord, help us all," Hope muttered under her breath.

"You'll do amazing, sweetie," Caroline said, seeing them off. "I know you'll make me proud."

Lizzie drew herself up and grinned at her mother. She spent her entire life observing and idolizing the woman. Now she was going to show that she was just as much a force to be reckoned with.

Climbing into the bus, Lizzie glanced around. It appeared all three factions were split up amongst the two rows, which was good.

"Thank you all for volunteering to help make Mystic Falls' Spring Festival the greatest it's ever been! Serving the community is one of the most dignified ways to give back!" she said, addressing the entire bus.

The students stared blankly at her as if they didn't really care about her words. They probably didn't. Most of them just wanted to get off campus for a while and saw this as something new and different.

"Everyone on _this_ side of the bus," she pointed to her right—the side _with_ MG—"You'll be joining me. We'll be dropped off first at the storage bays. We'll search out booths, games, props, everything we'll need to get arranged before Friday for the weekend.

"And everyone on _this_ side of the bus," she pointed to the left side, "Will continue on with my dad to town square where you'll work to get the festival grounds in tip top shape—and the parking lot by Greenie's ready for the equipment arriving tomorrow."

There were a few groans but mostly everyone nodded then went back to their conversations.

Lizzie sat in the seat behind her father, dragging Hope down next to her.

"Dad, you'll make sure everything is done correctly, right?" she said into his ear while he put the bus in gear.

"Absolutely, princess," he agreed. "You leave it to me."

"Who are you messaging?" Lizzie said, noting Hope with her phone in her hand. "You're not going to be on your phone the entire time, are you? I need you."

"Nope," Hope said, hitting send and slipping it into her pocket. "You have one more volunteer coming. I had to send the location."

"Who?" Lizzie squinted suspiciously.

"Ryan," Hope said simply. "He's staying in town this week."

"Is this because of the ' _Wendy_ ' thing?" she asked, lowering her voice with the name.

"That, and he said something about helping you," Hope said. "He figured you could use all the help you could get."

"Huh," Lizzie sat back then added his name to the list of volunteers.

So, not only was he spending his time looking for a way to help her in case the darkness overwhelmed her, he was also going to spend his week helping to put together an event that she was helming and had already manipulated him into helping with.

Weird.

"The more the merrier," she shrugged.

* * *

Students were traipsing around the lot behind the storage facility, carrying wooden panels and lying them down by the time Clarke arrived.

Finding Lizzie in the crowd, he figured Hope was somewhere inside.

"Where do you need me?" he asked.

"Ah, yes," Lizzie said, pulling her clipboard up studiously. "About time you arrived."

"I'm volunteering," he said. "Volunteers are never late. Where's Hope?"

Lizzie frowned at him. "She's going through the games inside. They're a mess. I suppose you could help her. Unless you're feeling the need to paint."

The students were already starting to put a fresh coat on the wooden panels that he recognized now as the pieces that would be hammered together for the booths. Lizzie wasn't the type to settle for drab. From what he could see, they definitely needed to be spruced up.

"Games, it is," he said, leaving in search of Hope. The blonde didn't look overwhelmed yet, and she had enough volunteers that no one had to do too much.

As he walked, he saw Jed working with a group. He deliberately made eye contact with him. He didn't approach, but he wanted to intimidate him enough to make him wary. Then he kept going inside. He wasn't here for work, after all.

"Who's that?" Jed asked, recognizing the face immediately from the prank on Saturday. It was none other than Ryan Clarke, as their IDs had told them. But he still couldn't place him.

"That's Ryan," Ethan supplied. He made sure to stick around Jed while they were working. Jed arrived later than the rest of them, having to wait for Mystic Falls High to let out. Josie and Jade went home since Josie was still grounded, but Ethan had made it _very_ clear to the wolves that the community a pack lived in was important too. So he strongly encouraged the ones who had time around their exams to participate—especially the seniors. Jed, for all his distance from Ethan, was still a part of the pack and decided to join in.

As soon as Jed chose a place to work and settled in, Ethan joined him. He didn't say a word to him; he didn't want to scare him off again. He just wanted to work side by side with him. Maybe if he stopped trying to question Jed and just made himself available, Jed would come to him like Jade advised.

"I know his name," Jed said. "But why is he here? And why does he look so familiar?"

"He's Hope's boyfriend," Ethan supplied, eyeing Jed. Shouldn't he know that? "I figured all of you knew him better than me considering he pretended to be your headmaster."

"Ryan _Clarke_ ," Jed said like a light bulb finally went off. "As in _Clarke_ , Clarke."

"Uh, yeah?" Ethan said. "You just figured that out? Haven't you met him before?"

"No," Jed shook his head. "Never officially. And I didn't know his first name."

"Well, that's him…" Ethan shrugged then went back to painting.

Jed frowned. Why were Josie and Jade playing a prank on someone like Clarke? They said it was to get back at someone for hurting their friend. Who, though? And why was that Clarke guy glaring at him like he _knew_ Jed was part of the prank? He would have to talk to the girls later.

"How many booths will there be?" MG asked as he carried another board out.

"Twenty exactly," Lizzie answered, following along with him.

"Maybe there should be a kissing booth," MG suggested.

"Absolutely not," Lizzie snapped haughtily. "I'm sure the judges wouldn't approve of me subjecting festival goers to germs and disease."

"If you have vamps man the booth, you won't have that problem," MG grinned. "I volunteer as tribute."

" _One!_ There will be _no_ kissing booth," Lizzie held up a finger, then added another one. " _Two_! Even if there was, you would _not_ be participating."

"Why not?"

"Don't be easy, MG," Lizzie said, turning up her nose. "You're better than that."

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Zip it!" Lizzie ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," MG laughed. He was just teasing her, but it was nice to see her react as if she _were_ jealous though he knew that wasn't possible.

"What are these for?" Clarke asked, holding up a bunch of circles that looked like the tops to mason jars. "Canning?"

"That's for the ring toss," Hope said, laughing. "There's a crate of empty vintage coke bottles around here somewhere. Put those in there. And don't break anything!"

"So once we get this all organized, what're we doing with it?" he asked.

"Labeling and stacking the totes by the door," Hope said. "We'll move them to town square on Thursday once the booths are put together."

She opened up another box and made a face, "Old face paint. I guess we should go through and see if anything's salvageable."

"As long as we're using your face, not mine," he said.

She shook her head and grabbed a random sheet of cardboard to test them on.

"What about this?" he pulled the drape off a wide board with lines across. "Are those bunnies?"

"Ugh," she made a face. "It _is_ close to Easter. I guess you can't ever really escape the bunnies."

"These won't attack you, I swear," he smirked, struggling to turn the board around.

"There are water guns somewhere with long tubes attached," Hope said. "Or at least there should be."

"Water guns? To shoot the bunnies?" he asked, perplexed.

"To shoot a target to make the bunnies run," she explained. "Whichever bunny reaches the end first, wins."

"So, the festival is just going to have a bunch of games?" he asked.

"There'll be more than just games, Shrek," Lizzie said, coming in to join them. "Lots of activities planned, and even a Ferris Wheel."

"For a spring festival."

"Yes," Lizzie said.

"That's a carnival," he said. " _Not_ a festival."

"It's a festival because I _said_ it's a festival," she snapped.

"Okay," Hope interrupted them both. "It's a spring festival, and it's going to be the best spring festival Mystic Falls has ever seen! Right, Lizzie?"

"Right!" Lizzie said, making a face at him.

"It's still a carnival," Clarke argued.

Hope threw a paintbrush at him.

"At least there wasn't paint on it," he said.

"Next time," she warned.

"Just hurry up," Lizzie finally said. "The minions are nearly done painting and leaving everything to dry, the bus will be here soon, and I need to close up shop."

"Only two more boxes to go through," Hope said. "We'll get it done, don't worry."

"But she'll be leaving with me," Clarke interrupted.

"Why am I not surprised?"

* * *

"Hey, J, can we talk?" Jed asked, sitting across from her.

"Sure!" Josie said, looking up from her dinner. She was bored out of her mind. She couldn't do more than go to school and study in her father or mother's office while they were working. Meals and bedtime were the only times she had any alone time.

"I saw that guy today, the one we pulled the prank on," Jed said. "Why were we playing a prank on a Triad agent, and Hope's boyfriend?"

 _Oh_.

"Because he deserved it?" Josie offered. "And he's not a Triad agent anymore, so much as he runs it."

"You said he's trying to hurt a friend of yours and Jade's?" he asked.

"I can't really talk about it," Josie said evasively. "It's her story to tell. But we wouldn't have asked for your help if there wasn't a good reason."

"I know," he nodded. "But I just need to know one thing."

"What's that?"

"With him being Triad, were any of us ever in danger?"

"Do you really think we would ever put you or Wade in any sort of danger?" she asked, completely avoiding the question.

"Nah," he laughed. "If his face was any indication, the prank definitely worked. Made me think he knew I was involved."

He decided not to push Josie for more information because she never pushed him when it came to things _he_ didn't want to talk about.

"He can't know anything for sure," Josie shrugged. "But where did you see him?"

"He's helping with the festival," he said.

Josie stopped herself from reacting, but she _really_ didn't like hearing that. Why was Clarke still in town? He only came to town on the weekends to spend time with Hope. He never stayed longer. He would only stay if he had a reason…like arranging a police blockade to try to catch a thief. He was stepping up his game, not leaving the case to his men anymore. He was going to fully participate now.

 _Good._ That meant it will be even more satisfying when they finally get Wendy out of town.

"It's nice that Lizzie has more help," she forced the words out of her mouth. She was glad for the first time that she was grounded and couldn't help with the festival. The last thing she wanted to do was be near him. "Thanks for helping."

"Ethan kind of ordered us to," Jed shrugged. "But I'm glad to help. Where's Jade?"

"The kitchen," she said, letting him know without saying that Jade was getting blood.

Jade was still mixing Josie's blood with bunny blood for now but only sparingly and usually in the morning. Jade really wanted to stop, but they had to figure out another plan to help Wendy get out of town first.

She hoped Jade could keep handling it.

* * *

"So what's the plan?" Clarke asked.

"You get an hour," Hope said. "Turn right up here!"

He slowed and made the turn, "An _hour_?"

"Its exam week, buster," she said. "I already had two today, but I've got two more tomorrow which means I need to study for the morning one tonight. So, yes, you get an hour before I need to get back to school."

"What if I drop you near the school?"

"I already planned for you to do that," she said. "Take the fork to the right."

"If I only get an hour, why are we going anywhere but the back seat?"

"Keep it in your pants," she rolled her eyes in amusement. "I did more research and I want to try something else with your powers."

"What?"

"Rock formations," she said simply. "Most rocks have built up over time, right? They're just as much a part of the earth as the ground or dirt or mud."

"You want me to—"

"Move and change the shape of rocks!" she explained excitedly.

"And I get an hour to do it in."

"You're really stuck on that part, aren't you?" she said with a laugh. "Stop up here."

There was just enough daylight left to get where they needed to go. She would create more light if it were needed though.

"There," she pointed to a big boulder with groupings of rocks around it. "I've ran through these woods enough, I knew the perfect place."

"What first?" he asked.

"Surprise me?" she said. "Be creative. This is different from what you've done before. _You_ gotta figure it out."

He figured if his powers were based in emotion so far, they probably were now too. So, what emotion was needed to make the giant boulder over there do something? Maybe he should focus on the smaller rocks first.

Although…the boulder stood tall and proud, rigid and unyielding.

_Hmm._

He thought about all the work he had done with Triad through the years, and everything he was doing with it now that he was in charge, and he felt proud.

Proud like the boulder stood.

Using that emotion, he focused until something happened.

"Whoa!" Hope stepped back in shock. "It moved!"

"It wobbled," he corrected her.

"It still moved!" she said. "Do it again!"

He focused and, sure enough, it moved again. He didn't want to completely move it from its spot, but he had a sneaky suspicion he would be able to get it to roll. Not knowing if he had enough control yet to make it stop, he decided to just turn it, twisting it around where it stood.

"You did it!" she exclaimed.

"Don't act so shocked," he said.

"I know, it's just really cool, you gotta admit," she grinned.

"Yeah, it is pretty cool," he allowed, trying to hold his own grin back but failing.

"What about the shape?" she asked. "Can you change it?"

He decided to try that on the smaller rocks instead. He went over and stared down at one.

This time he combined his pride and his love, and, in no time at all, the rock had formed into an almost perfect heart. The edges could use a little work, but it got the message across and he succeeded in his goal.

He changed the shape of the rock.

Bending down, he picked it up. "I wonder what else that research of yours will turn up."

"I'm beginning to think you can do so much more than we realized," she said.

"For you," he said, holding out the heart.

"Look at you, being romantic again," she smiled, taking it.

"Don't get used to it," he laughed.

"Too late," she giggled, admiring the rock.

"So, that's only…" he looked at the time on his phone. "Twenty minutes. I've still got forty minutes left of that hour."

"Don't you want to practice more?" she asked.

"I can do that later. Let's go back to the car," he said suggestively, stepping closer and turning on the bedroom eyes.

She glanced at him, weighing his words and whether she wanted to tease him some more and drag it out… but really, that only teased _her_ more.

"Okay, let's go!" she laughed, grabbed his hand, and ran with him back to the car.

A front seat make-out session seemed like a perfect way to end the evening.

He would just have to try to get her in the backseat some other time.

* * *

Climbing out of his truck, Mayor Matt Donovan adjusted the suit jacket he was still getting used to wearing after so many months at his new job.

He missed being in the field but being mayor made it even easier to protect the citizens of this town, forgoing all the stupid red tape.

Correction—it made it easier to protect the _humans_ of this town.

When Caroline first asked him to speak with a human teenage girl who was let in on the big supernatural secret, his first instinct was to tell her to compel the girl to forget.

What he would give to go back and experience his high school years without knowing about the creatures that lurked in the dark.

Caroline Salvatore, nee Forbes, could always talk him into anything though, so before he knew it he was meeting with the girl whose brother was a werewolf and had supposedly recently overcome her fear of vampires. She acted tough, but he could tell she was still unsure about the world she stumbled into.

He also knew she was uncertain about the internship. He came up with that on the spur of the minute. If she was going to be a part of this world, she would notice things other students wouldn't. Not a lot of creatures turned up at the school anymore, not after Ric started the Salvatore school and began rehabilitating supernatural students. Matt knew Ric did good work, but he still wished it was nowhere near his town.

The girl could keep an eye out and have someone to contact who would listen and help—something he never really had growing up. Sure, there were plenty of vampires around who got involved, but they usually caused the problem in the first place.

He didn't know if her teacher was in trouble, but he would take the steps to make sure the teacher couldn't be used further.

He also needed to talk to Ric about allowing a vampire to enroll at the local human school. This Jade shouldn't be anywhere _near_ Mystic Falls High.

"Yes?" a thin tall dark haired woman said when she opened the door to his knock. "Mayor Donovan?" she asked in complete confusion and shock.

"Good evening, Mrs. Garcia," Matt said with a charming smile. "I apologize for the lateness of my visit, but I wanted to break the news to you in person and this was the first time I could get away."

"News?" she asked, startled. "Oh, do come in, please!" She remembered her manners and held the door open for him.

"Thank you," he said, following her inside.

"Please, have a seat," she motioned to a couch in her well decorated living room. "Can I offer you a drink? Tea? Coffee?"

"No, thank you," he said politely.

"Well," she sat demurely in a chair across from him. "What brings the mayor to _my_ house of all places? What news?"

"I've started a new endeavor in my office this year," he explained. "I want to recognize some of the people who are assets to our community, and who is better suited for that than a teacher who has dedicated her life to helping to shape young minds? You do great work at the high school, Ms. Garcia, and I would like to personally recognize you during the spring festival this weekend."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, holding her hands together in excitement, possibly to keep them from flailing. "This is an honor! Of all the teachers? For me to be chosen?"

"Now, there will be a couple others joining you," he was quick to point out. "But that does nothing to dim such an achievement."

"Oh no, of course not!" she said, her face bursting with joy.

"Along with the recognition, I would also like to give you this," he reached for the inside breast pocket of his suit and brought out a small rectangular shaped box.

Offering it to her, she took it immediately and opened it.

Her face lit up as she saw the beautiful red colored brooch in the shape of a small sized apple with a faux silver stem and "In Appreciation" etched across the front. The initials "M.F." were bejeweled near the bottom standing for "Mystic Falls".

"This is lovely!"

"Would you like help putting it on?"

"Oh, no, no," she said. "Let me!" She set the box down to remove her current pin, then picked up the new one and threaded it through.

"Perfect," he said.

"Yes," she nodded emphatically. "I can't wait to wear this proudly for everyone to see."

"Then you should never take it off," he said.

She smiled demurely, "Thank you so much for delivering this in person. It's been an absolute pleasure!"

"The pleasure was all mine," he nodded.

After begging off another offer for tea, Matt left the house as quickly as he arrived. Climbing into his vehicle, he glanced around as he buckled his seatbelt, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

" _Well_?" the girl waiting in the backseat of his truck with her arms crossed over her chest said in annoyance.

"I couldn't tell, and I didn't ask," he said, putting the truck into gear and pulling off.

"Then what was the point of all this?" Maya asked.

"To give her a brooch," he said.

"A brooch," she raised her eyebrow. "You gave her a pin? Why?"

"For the same reason you and your mom put herbs in your drink daily," he said.

"Oh," she said. "You mean vervain?"

"It's in the brooch," he said. "As long as she's wearing it, no vampire can compel her. And believe me, she will be wearing it _all_ week long."

"Yeah," she nodded and looked away. "That's a good idea."

He knew that look. It may have been years but he _did_ have a teenage sister once.

Sighing, he slowed to the side of the road and grabbed a bracelet out of his glove compartment

Holding it back to her, he practically glared, "Wear it."

"You just have random jewelry lying around?" she said with her usual attitude, though she took it from him.

"Rule number one of being a human in a world with vampires, always have vervain in your system," he reminded her with not a little annoyance. "I said this on the first day."

"Well, I'm not good with taking medicine daily," she argued.

"And your mother?" he asked. "Did you think of her?"

"But she's the sheriff and…" she trailed off, realizing she sounded stupid. She didn't really have a good reason for not making sure both she and her mother took vervain. She just didn't think vampires would be that big of a problem. They went to the Salvatore school and were learning to control themselves. How much trouble _could_ they cause? Even with everything happening with Mrs. Garcia, she didn't think Jade would ever actually hurt the woman. "The vampires at the school aren't going to hurt anyone."

He laughed sarcastically, "And you think the only vampires of the world go to that school? Because they don't. Vampires of all types, all ages, used to be drawn to this town like a bloody plague. Most of them have lost interest, or they lost their lives, but that doesn't stop other vampires from deciding to pop in for a visit. One can come by at any time just for a night of fun killing. And you know the worst part?"

"What?" she asked, her apprehension growing by a mile.

"They can _compel_ humans to do what they want," he said. "They can compel them to kill each other or to stand still while they're being killed. They can compel you to not make a _sound_ as they cut and torture you to make the blood flow. They can slowly rip your heart out and all you can do is _watch_."

Maya stared at him, eyes wide in horrified comprehension.

"So when I say, make sure you and your mother are on vervain, _do_ it," he snapped.

Satisfied he finally got through to her, he turned back around and drove off again.

Maya put the bracelet—a thin black band—on her wrist, noting the tiny bauble hanging from the end of it. That must be where the vervain was held. She should've felt much better once the bracelet was firmly in place. She should've been relieved when she remembered where she put the supply of vervain at home that he gave her before too.

Instead, she was more terrified than when she first learned vampires were real.

"What happens if they try to compel me and it doesn't work?" she asked.

"I suggest going along with it until you can call for help," he said. "Either that, or run _really_ fast."

"Is that all?" she gulped.

"Wooden stakes, fire, and beheading work too," he said.

"You mean, kill them," she said.

He nodded.

"But how am _I_ …" she took the same martial arts and self defense classes growing up that Ethan did. Her mother was always very vocal about them learning to protect themselves. But she never had much use for any of that in the actual real world. She never put it to the test. And sure, she could take down a human, but how was she ever going to use that to take down a vampire?

"Again, call for help or run," he said. "Or go some place they can't be invited in."

"What if I _have_ to fight?" she asked.

He was silent for a long time before he finally answered.

"I guess your job description just expanded."

Well, he said he missed field work. Training a newbie with her attitude might prove to be annoying but it was better than sitting through meeting after meeting over inane political matters.

* * *

"Mayor, to what do I owe the honor," Alaric said, answering his personal cell and noting the number.

"Care to tell me why you would allow a vampire to attend classes at Mystic Falls High?" Matt asked.

Alaric gritted his teeth and winced, "Ah, I'm not entirely sure I know of whom you're referring?"

"Cut the crap, Ric," he said. "We both know who I'm talking about."

Alaric sighed, "She won't hurt anyone. She's just learning to live amongst humans and get her diploma."

"Yeah, that's what they all say," Matt said sarcastically. "But at least she's not a ripper, right?"

Alaric went silent, wincing again.

Matt laughed bitterly, "Please don't tell me you allowed a _ripper_ to attend the human high school? I thought you were smarter than that, Ric."

"I owed her," Alaric sighed. "I know you're right, but she passed a test and she's doing _fine_."

"We'll see about _that_ ," Matt huffed, thinking about the award he had to come up with and present to three teachers that night. The other two were picked at random so as to not raise anyone's suspicions. He took the time to add vervain to all of the awards just as an added precaution. "But you know she has to go."

Alaric sighed. There wasn't any getting around this. No amount of arguing would convince Matt Donovan it was okay for a vampire to attend the human high school.

"I'll let her know," he said.

"There aren't anymore supernaturals stowed away at the school, are there?" Matt asked. "Don't lie to me, Ric. I'm not in the mood."

"There's a wolf," Alaric said. "Josie gave up her powers so she insisted on going to the human school. I sent her with some extra protection."

"Your daughter can stay, but the wolf has to go," Matt said. " _No_ supernaturals mean _all_ humans are safe."

Alaric looked heavenward, "I'll let them both know and make the arrangements." And he would have to arrange a ride to and from school for Josie from now on since she would be completely alone.

"And Ric? Keep an eye on the vampire," Matt said. "I can't prove anything yet, but I think she's up to something."

 _Story of my life_ , Alaric thought. He didn't trust Josie anymore, and he didn't trust Jade either. The entire Wendy situation didn't sit well with him and he was beginning to think he should have taken the time to talk to Clarke instead of cutting him off.

"I'm on it."

* * *

"I have become my own worst nightmare!" Maya moaned, burying her face into the couch pillow.

"Come now," Mac said. "It can't be _that_ terrible."

"A narc!" Maya cried out. "I'm a narc!"

"Dare I ask what brought this on?"

Maya huffed and flung the pillow to the side, "And you need to start taking vervain."

"You didn't answer my question," Mac said, "And I already _am_ on vervain."

"You are?" Maya said.

Mac held up the necklace at her neck,

"Seylah gave this to me years ago. I started putting vervain in it a few months back. You don't date the headmaster of a supernatural school that's filled with vampires without having _that_ talk."

"Oh," Maya said. "Well, then I guess I just have to worry about me."

"Why?" Mac asked, frowning. "What are you doing that you would have to worry about vampires?"

Maya snickered, "The mayor would call you as naïve as me."

"The mayor?" Mac asked, confused.

"Yeah, that internship, remember?" Maya said.

"I thought you decided not to take it," Mac said.

"Sorta?" Maya replied. "I mean, I didn't tell him no. I just figured I would get the extra paycheck and not have to do anything."

"How very entrepreneurial of you," Mac said sarcastically. "So, tell me about this internship and what it has to do with vervain?"

"I'm just supposed to keep an eye out at school and stuff," Maya shifted uncomfortably. "You know, where you and other adults can't…"

"Keep an eye out for _what_?" Mac said, not liking what she was hearing.

"You know, supernaturals like…"

"Vampires," Mac said, pressing her lips together. "I think its time I had a word with the mayor."

"Its okay, Mom," Maya said. "I'm not in any danger—not in any more danger than I would be if I _didn't_ know about them. I just…"

"Hate being the narc," Mac said, knowing her daughter. "So, who did you tell on?"

"Jade," Maya looked down. "I felt bad, but I couldn't ignore it. I mean, I'm the only one who noticed anything…what if I didn't say anything and Mrs. Garcia got hurt?"

"That's still a lot of responsibility to put on you," Mac said, knowing she was going to have to talk with the mayor either way.

"Am I a bad person, Mom?" Maya asked. "I mean, she was my girlfriend and I dumped her because of what she is…and now I'm probably getting her in trouble."

"No, sweetie," Mac said. "You could never be a bad person. It's not your fault things got too scary for you. You never lied to her, and technically not telling you about herself was lying to you. So, no. Not a bad person. As for this Mrs… who?"

"Garcia," Maya supplied.

"You were worried about doing the right thing and protecting someone," Mac said. "You know who you remind me of?"

"Who?"

"Me."

"Didn't I _just_ say I had become my own worst nightmare?" Maya groaned.

Mac smiled despite the seriousness of the conversation.

Teenagers were _so_ over dramatic.

* * *

"What's on the agenda for today?" Hope asked.

Lizzie sighed, "I have to go into town, like, now. The people are arriving to start setting up the Ferris Wheel and bring in some other equipment."

"Shouldn't someone from the town office meet with them?" Hope asked. "I mean, you're organizing the event but some things need to be signed off, um, officially, right?" _And not by a teenager_.

"Right," Lizzie nodded. "But I need to make sure everything is put where _I_ want it."

"Ah, yes," Hope nodded with understanding. Lizzie's inner control freak was at a solid eight. It should hit ten by Friday.

"Rally the troops and make sure they're on the bus in time," Lizzie said. "We may have a few drop outs because of exams."

"What about _your_ exams?" Hope asked. "Do you have enough time to study?"

"Of course," Lizzie drew herself up. "I'm ready for all of my exams…with the exception of Chemistry of Magic."

"Just relax, it's only water and air," Hope said. "I'll be there the entire time if it goes out of control, but you said yourself that the medication is working better now. And you got to a good place with the fire eventually too."

Hope winced remembering the number of times Lizzie nearly blew them up. She finally got it under control by trying not to be too ambitious. Just a _small_ fire spell and movement—no Doctor Strange inspired flying discs.

"Right," Lizzie said, feigning agreement. "It'll be fine." Even she didn't believe it. If she didn't pass, she may not graduate. But maybe she _shouldn't_ graduate if she couldn't control the basic elements. On time graduation was definitely _not_ a thing at the Salvatore school—just ask Hope Mikaelson.

"O _kay_ ," Alyssa said with a long suffering sigh, appearing next to them. "I'm bored. So bored, in fact, I may be inclined to _actually_ help with your little event."

"Gee, Alyssa, don't do anything just to make _us_ happy," Lizzie said sarcastically.

"Oh, I won't," Alyssa said dismissively. "What manual labor project are your hapless gofers being forced to do today?"

"Stringing lights, painting signs, and I'm assigning duties for the festival," Lizzie said, glancing at Hope. "If you have a preference, state it now otherwise you get what I give you like everyone else."

"What are the options?" Alyssa said, glancing at Lizzie's ever present clipboard.

"Oh, no," Lizzie said, gripping the board to her chest. "You don't get an assignment until you prove you will actually show up."

"Fine," Alyssa said with a glare. "What time are we leaving?"

"The bus leaves in an hour," Lizzie said. She looked at the time. "Ugh! I've got to get going if I'm going to meet the equipment guys. You've got this, right, Hope?"

"Right!" Hope affirmed, waving her away.

"I'm going with you," Alyssa said, following alongside Lizzie.

The blonde rushed away to her car, having taken back control of it from Josie since her sister was grounded and she didn't feel as nauseated anymore.

Lizzie laughed, "You are _not_."

"Guess again," Alyssa said. "I'm not in the mood to take the bus."

Lizzie reached her car, "You'll just be sitting around doing nothing until everyone else arrives."

"Fine," Alyssa shrugged and tried to open the passenger side door. "Unlock, please."

"Please?" Lizzie said with mock surprise. "She _can_ be polite."

"I could just unlock it myself," Alyssa held out a finger like she would easily perform the spell.

" _Fine_ ," Lizzie huffed, flicking her finger and unlocking both her and Alyssa's doors.

"Just don't speak," Lizzie said, climbing in and slamming her door shut. "And do _not_ touch the radio."

* * *

Whoever said Monday's sucked had never lived through a Tuesday like this one.

Josie never felt more alone in her life than after her first full day by herself at Mystic Falls High.

Her dad let them know that morning Jade and Jed were no longer allowed to attend the human school. They were all upset, but they didn't have a choice. Somehow the mayor learned supernaturals were at the school and put his foot down.

Being a part of "The Js" was something she actually loved and may have taken a little bit for granted. While she never talked to Jed much before, he had become one of her best friends. And Jade, she loved going to the same school as her girlfriend.

Without either of them, she realized she hadn't actually made many new friends at all since coming there.

 _How_ did the mayor find out about Jade and Jed? It didn't make any sense. Maybe Clarke could have done it to mess with her since she had been messing with him? She wouldn't put it past him.

Spanish class was winding down and Mrs. Garcia seemed in great spirits. Josie had no idea what that was about.

She moved her books around on her desk, deciding to silently pack up early. As she did, she felt like she was being watched and glanced up. Maya was eyeing her but looked away as soon as she saw Josie watching her.

 _Probably wondering where Jade was,_ Josie grumbled to herself. Sometimes Maya showed Jade too much attention for being an ex.

 _Although_ … Josie glanced at Maya a few more times before class ended and each time Maya quickly looked away.

Remembering Maya acting suspicious last week, Josie began to wonder.

When the bell rang, Maya was out of her seat instantly, and Josie was right behind her.

"Hey! Maya!" she called out, reaching for the other girl's shoulder.

Maya spun around, dislodging Josie's grip, "What?"

"Aren't you going to ask about Jade?"

"Why would I?" Maya asked.

"Why indeed, especially if you know what happened," Josie said. "What did you do? Who did you tell?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Maya said. "Tell about what?"

"You said something, didn't you?" Josie accused. "That's why Jade and Jed got kicked out and can't come back. What did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything," Maya defended.

"You're lying!" Josie exclaimed. She probably would've used magic on the other girl if she had something to siphon. Fortunately, she didn't. She couldn't give away the fact that she had her powers back.

"If they got kicked out, they must've been doing something they weren't supposed to," Maya spat back. "What was it?"

That shut Josie up. She wasn't wrong, at least not about Jade. Jade _was_ doing something she wasn't supposed to. But if the mayor somehow knew about that, knew about Garcia… then Josie had to get Wendy out of there _now_.

"That's what I thought," Maya said when Josie didn't reply. "It's their own fault and had _nothing_ to do with me."

Watching Maya leave, Josie thought frantically. She couldn't do anything to get Jed and Jade back to school with her, but the only way to get Wendy out of town was Garcia.

Josie needed to use the teacher before the mayor figured everything out and interfered.

Thinking quickly, she came up with a plan.

Garcia will have to drive out of town _without_ Wendy, and Wendy will just have to sneak out somehow by foot, not using a car access point. Once Garcia was far enough from the town's border, she could pick up Wendy and go on to Salem from there. She knew Wendy would agree—she didn't really have any other choice.

When she got home after school, she would send Jade to compel Garcia.

Having a plan in place made Josie breathe easier.

Now to go wait for her ride.

With a roll of her eyes, she wondered if it would be her mother or father on guard duty that day.

* * *

"This is so bogus," Jade groaned, flopping into the seat next to Jed on the bus.

"I guess we were lucky no one noticed before now," Jed winced. "At least there's no school the rest of the week?"

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better," Jade grumbled.

Since the Salvatore students were taking their midterms, Jed and Jade didn't have to attend classes until the following week. Then they would have to try to catch up to where their new classes were.

_Good times._

"And now the only way I can do anything decent off campus is to help with _this_ ," Jade said, waving her hand.

"It's not so bad," Jed shrugged.

Jade sighed as the bus took off. She didn't really want to help, but it was better than sitting in her room doing nothing…well, doing nothing but thinking about how good her morning blood bag tasted mixed with Josie's blood.

Not going to school meant she had nothing to occupy her time or her mind. She needed to stop. She knew there was a chance she would lose control, but she kept telling herself it would only be for a little while longer.

The bus reached its destination and everyone got off, ready to be given direction by the bossiest blond at the Salvatore School.

"Is it my imagination," Jade murmured to Jed, "or does she look a bit stressed?"

Lizzie immediately regretted letting Alyssa tag along as the she flicked channels on the radio even though that was one of Lizzie's rules.

Meeting with the town official and the carnys had gone over well. No one questioned Lizzie's set up, and Alyssa stayed in the car.

The biggest problem came when Lizzie realized all of the stuff she needed for the volunteers to work on was still at the storage bay. She knew the games and booths wouldn't be needed until later in the week, but she still needed other things and there was _not_ enough space in her car for it all.

Driving over anyway, she managed to stuff two large cases of lights into the car with Alyssa in her ear the entire time telling her she was being ridiculous.

By the time the students arrived to town square, she was wishing she had called and told her dad to take them to the storage bay first to pick up everything but she wasn't even sure it would fit on the bus either.

She was feeling overwhelmed and stupid, and she was standing in front of a large group of students waiting for her to tell them what to do.

"Something's wrong," Hope whispered to Ryan who had been waiting for them to arrive.

Clarke studied the blonde. Hope was right. Lizzie didn't look like she was as in control as she did yesterday. Something _was_ wrong.

"Be right back," he murmured, heading for the blonde.

"Just a second!" Lizzie called out to everyone before turning to look down at the two cases of lights at her feet.

 _Breathe_ , she reminded herself.

"What's the problem?" Clarke asked.

"She screwed up," Alyssa said.

"Shut _up_ , Alyssa," Lizzie said through clenched teeth.

"Talk," Clarke said. "Are we getting started, or?"

"She can't," Alyssa replied for her. "She didn't think it through and now a bunch of the supplies she needed for today are still in storage. Her car couldn't fit everything. Obviously."

"What're we doing today?" Clarke asked Lizzie.

"Stringing up the lights," she kicked at a box at her feet. "But only half of them are here. Signs need to be created and painted too, and I was planning on giving out jobs for the festival so everyone can start getting those ready."

"Here's what you're going to do," he said, pulling out his phone. "Give me a list of everything you need from storage. While that's being retrieved, pass out the jobs. By the time you're done with that, everything will be here or almost here. Start with the lights if you need to."

"Okay," Lizzie breathed out, feeling a return to control. "I can do that. So _you're_ going to get everything?"

"What makes you say that?" he held his phone up to his ear. He didn't keep his Bluetooth in while helping with the festival.

"Clarke," he identified himself. "I'll be forwarding a list and an address. Retrieve everything and bring it to town square immediately."

He hung up before he received a reply.

Lizzie's mouth dropped open. Did he really just send _Triad_ on a mission to collect supplies for her?

"Did you just—"

"I need that list," he reminded her.

"Right, right," Lizzie immediately started writing out a list of everything, not even bothering to ask how they would get in without the key. It was Triad after all.

"Guess they figured it out," Jade murmured to Jed when Lizzie cleared her throat and approached them again with her clipboard held firmly in front of her.

"Before we get started, I'm going to read off the list of job assignments for the festival this weekend. If you're by yourself, you'll get a community volunteer during the festival to help or fill in when you need a break.

"First, this is a _spring_ festival so the atmosphere must be bright, lively, and _spring_ -like," she called out. "Meaning, besides the activities there _must_ be colorful signs, lots of flowers, and other spring things… like bubbles!"

"Bubbles?" Jed asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, _bubbles_ ," Lizzie said forcefully. "Thanks for volunteering to take care of the bubbles, Jed."

"Wha—"

Jade laughed.

"Half of you will be working on hanging lights today," Lizzie said. "The other half will be painting signs with _bright_ colors. We'll get to that in a bit," she finished with a look at Ryan.

Clarke nodded. His team was already at the storage bay.

"We'll take flowers," Hope called out, raising one hand and patting Ryan on the shoulder.

Clarke was not amused.

Hope winked at him. He said he would practice his powers _later_ , well, he could practice them while growing all the flowers they needed to decorate. Plus, he would save Lizzie's budget in the process.

"Hope, you also have face painting," Lizzie called off, going down her list.

"Okay!" Hope smiled. She would have to make a sample page so the kids could choose.

"You're doing two things?" Clarke asked her.

"Yeah," Hope whispered back. "The flowers are just decoration. We'll set them up before the festival. We all still have to help _during_ the festival too."

"Right," he said.

"Shrek, you can do the M&M count and Lollipop game," Lizzie called out.

"Sure," he said, then asked Hope, "What're those?"

"I'll tell you later," she shushed him.

"Do I get anything else besides bubbles?" Jed asked.

"Yeah," Lizzie looked at her list. "You and Ephram are putting together the American Ninja Warrior obstacle course thing. Get a couple wolves and vamps to help too."

"Ephram?" Jed asked.

"Me," Ethan clarified, not unfamiliar with Josie's sister's use of 'nicknames'. "So, what are we supposed to do?"

"Whatever you want?" Lizzie shrugged. "Just remember this is for _humans_. Nothing that will get anyone killed."

"Right," Ethan was already going through a list of ideas. He was actually excited about the festival for the first time. This would be fun.

"Can't I just—" Jed started to ask for a different job. Why did he keep getting stuck with Ethan?

" _No_!" Lizzie interrupted. "No changing jobs. Now, hush, I need to get through the rest of the list.

"MG and Kaleb!" she called out. "You've got the Silent Disco Tent."

"Sweet!" MG said.

"Wait, we don't really gotta play disco music, right?" Kaleb asked.

"No," Lizzie said. "Play whatever you want as long as it's _family friendly_. Just make sure someone's wiping down the head phones after each person."

"Headphones?" Clarke asked Hope.

"A disco tent is a place for people to listen to music and dance, but everyone listens to the music through headphones," Hope explained quietly.

Lizzie went through the rest of the list of planned games, listing off most of the others.

"I think that's everything for now," Lizzie said, looking over her list. "There will be community volunteers joining us who can fill in with anything I missed."

"What about me?" Alyssa asked.

"What _about_ you?" Lizzie said.

"You didn't assign me anything," Alyssa said.

"Will you actually show up?"

"I wouldn't volunteer if I wasn't going to."

"Fine," Lizzie said, pulling her clipboard up and writing something. "You can sell tickets at the front booth."

"But you already have, like, two other people signed up for that," Alyssa complained.

"If you show up every day for the rest of the week, I'll _think_ about giving you something else," Lizzie said.

"Whatever," Alyssa grumbled.

Clarke noticed two large vans pulling up to the square, backing in.

"That's our cue," he called out to Lizzie.

"Great!" Lizzie said. "Everyone, supplies are here. Let's unload and get started!"

Later, as grateful as she was for Ryan's unexpected help, Lizzie was beginning to regret accepting it.

As she oversaw the groups going through the cases of lights and untangling them, she called out, "MG, start at that tree over there. Kaleb, start over there."

"You might want to test the lights first," Clarke said, startling her when he popped up right next to her.

"I thought you were painting?" she glanced over where the other volunteers were working on the signs. Hope was studiously at work and Lizzie thought Ryan was sticking to her side the entire time.

Clarke shrugged, "Check the lights first."

"For what?"

"To make sure they still work," he said. "Do you really want to hang them all up _then_ find out they aren't working or a bulb is out?"

He had a point.

"MG!" she called out. "Hold on!"

Shaking his head, Clarke went back to join Hope.

"Saving the day again?" Hope teased.

"Something like that," he picked up a paint brush and sat next to her.

"Paint that area over there," she pointed.

"So, I noticed Jed and Jade arrived with everyone else…" he fished for information.

"They did," she nodded. "They're transferring back to the Salvatore school."

"Interesting…" he wondered what prompted that. "And Josie is still going to Mystic Falls? By herself?"

"Seems that way," she sat back. "You wouldn't be pumping me for information about that case I'm not supposed to be interring with, would you?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said, but he kept an eye on Jade. Jed had been avoiding eye contact with him since yesterday. But, since the wolf was so confused at first, he was pretty sure Jed wasn't who he needed to investigate. Josie and _Jade_ were the problem.

Jade and Jed were both painting, and as he watched Jade pull her phone out of her pocket.

Now, who would be contacting Jade at this time? Could it be her girlfriend who got out of school not too long ago? The one who couldn't help out with the festival because she was grounded?

Whoever it was, Jade definitely didn't like the message she read.

"I need more paint," he murmured and got up to do some sneaking.

Figuring out how to track Jade had been one of his goals all week—it was obvious from the way their weekend plan went down that the teens were aware Triad had surveillance on the school's front gate. And if Jade took off running at her top vamp speed, there was no way for them to track that.

Unless he got a tracer on her.

Approaching silently from behind, he heard Jade tell Jed she would be back.

When she stood, he made sure to be right behind her so she walked into him.

"Oh, sorry!" she said before she realized who she walked into.

"It's all good," he said, moving on to pick up the green paint.

The tracer was firmly in place.

She hesitated but kept going.

He returned to his place in the grass next to Hope and retrieved his phone.

"Trouble?" she asked.

"None at all," he smirked, stuffing the cell in his pocket after telling his team to follow his tracker device.

When Jade still hadn't come back after five minutes, he knew he was right to be suspicious.

He only hoped the girl led them straight to Wendy this time.

"You'll be happy to know," Lizzie started, coming to join them, "One of the strands _were_ burned out. So, thank you." She said it like it physically pained her.

"You're welcome," he said. "By the way, you might need more signs."

Lizzie dropped her head back, "Okay. What am I missing _now_?" Would Hope be too upset if she strangled him?

"Maybe a first-aid sign? You do have plans for a station right?" he said.

She glared. _No_ , she didn't have a plan for that. But she knew she should.

"You know this is _my_ festival, right?" she asked.

"Your carnival, right," he nodded.

"It's a festival!" she corrected again.

"I'll start working on a first aid sign right now," Hope interrupted.

"Thank you," Lizzie said tight lipped.

"No problem," Clarke replied.

"I wasn't talking to you," Lizzie said.

"Weren't you, though?" he teased.

Hope looked down, struggling not to grin and incur the wrath of Lizzie.

 _Like siblings_ , she laughed to herself.

* * *

Sneaking away from festival planning while _knowing_ the man responsible for her best friend having to go on the run was _right there_ , felt like a completely foolish thing to do.

But Jade was feeling super foolish about a lot of things right about now.

When Josie got home from school and couldn't find Jade, she sent her a message to let her know she had to go see Mrs. Garcia _as soon as possible_.

Apparently Josie had a new plan to get Wendy out of town, but she was worried someone might already know about Garcia. So Jade had to go and put the new plan into motion immediately.

"Jade? What are you doing here?" Mrs. Garcia asked when she answered the door.

The woman said that every time she opened the door before Jade compelled her to forget her.

"You're going to drive out of town," she said, gazing into the woman's eyes.

"Not any time soon," Mrs. Garcia said, still looking confused at finding her student on her door step.

_Well, that was unexpected…_

Jade didn't know what happened, but her compulsion wasn't working.

"I…came to see Tiffany," Jade stumbled over the words. Tiffany was the name they made up for Wendy so if anyone asked Garcia about the person staying with her, she wouldn't give her away.

"Oh, I see," Mrs. Garcia nodded, stepping back. "She's up in her room. Will you be staying for dinner?"

"No, but thank you," Jade said, hesitating. At least the _old_ compulsion still worked. Mrs. Garcia still believed her cousin's daughter was staying with her. Jade wasn't even sure if the woman _had_ a cousin, but compulsion didn't care.

Running upstairs, she entered Wendy's room.

"Is Josie's new plan a go?" Wendy said, sitting up.

"Hello to you too," Jade said saucily. "But no, it's not. It's not working! I can't compel her anymore!"

"Is it the blood? Do you need more?" Wendy asked, holding up her arm. "Because I could—"

" _No_ ," Jade said. "I've _been_ taking the blood. I don't need more. Something's blocking the compulsion. I think she's on vervain now."

"But she still thinks I'm supposed to be here?"

"Vervain can't _undo_ a compulsion, it just prevents future ones," Jade reminded her.

"Which means we can't get her to drive out of town and pick me up," Wendy realized. "So, we compel someone else?"

"You mean _me_ ," Jade said with disgust. " _I_ compel someone else. But who?!"

"I don't know!" Wendy exclaimed. "I'm just following your and your girlfriend's messed up plans!"

"Hey!" Jade pointed at her. "We did all this for _you_. Show a little more appreciation."

"Right, right," Wendy tried to calm down before she alienated her only friend and the people helping her. "It's just…what do we do now?"

"Sit tight," Jade said. "We'll figure something out."

"Okay, Jade," Wendy said. "I'll leave it up to you." It wasn't like she had any other options at this point.

Jade left just as quickly as she arrived. She raced back to town square and acted like she returned from the Grill after a bathroom break.

"Hey," she settled down next to Jed again. "What'd I miss?"

"Just me trying to figure out this bubbles thing," Jed groaned.

"Don't worry about that," she smiled. "If Lizzie Saltzman wants bubbles, she shall have bubbles! I'll help."

"Thank God."

* * *

"I'm bored," Alyssa sat back and complained to Lizzie. "And don't give me that look. We've been here for _hours_."

Lizzie looked around. She was right, though they were very nearly done.

"Okay, everyone listen up!" Lizzie called out. "The Grill is letting us use their basement to store the signs while they dry. Put them away and pack up the rest of the supplies. We're done for the day!"

Everyone immediately got up to clean. Lizzie _had_ kept them longer today than yesterday.

"I've got this last one to finish," Hope spoke up.

Lizzie loved the signs Hope painted more than all the others. She added little sprigs of painted flowers and colorful stripes here and there. Too bad Hope couldn't do them all.

"You're not going back with them anyway," Clarke reminded her.

"Oh, yeah," Hope said sheepishly, brushing a strand of hair that fell in her face and getting a streak of paint across her forehead in the process.

"Don't _you_ have to study?" Lizzie said. "You were all about me earlier."

"I only have _one_ exam tomorrow," Hope said. "It's in the morning, but I've already studied. I know the material. Tonight, it's movie night."

"Did someone say movie?" MG said, joining them. "Oh, and the cases are in the vans. The last of the lights are strung."

Lizzie looked around. "You know, I have my car, so it's not like I have to take the bus back…"

"Your point?" Hope asked.

"I could use a break," Lizzie shrugged. "Movie night sounds perfect."

"Its movie night at _our_ place," Clarke interrupted, slightly annoyed.

"Even better," Lizzie grinned.

Getting rid of Alyssa proved easy enough when Lizzie told her she had a few more things to do before she left. Alyssa hopped on the bus faster than a hot potato.

When MG started getting on the bus though, Lizzie grabbed him, "Where do you think you're going?"

"On the bus?" he said.

"And leave me to a movie night with just the _two_ of them?" she motioned somewhere in the direction Hope and Ryan were.

"You're inviting me?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," she huffed.

"Then yes," he said.

"Hope's taking care of the last sign," Clarke said, walking by. "My team will take the supplies back. Meet you at ours?"

"We'll be there," MG said.

Clarke hesitated for half a second, not knowing the vampire was coming. He didn't mind but, knowing their history, he always had a second of surprise knowing this particular student didn't hold anything against him.

He nodded.

* * *

"So, what movie are we watching?" Hope said, setting bowls and bags out on the coffee table. She started popping popcorn and searching to see what other snacks they had as soon as she got home. Ryan picked up a bunch of things since he was staying for the week. She ordered a couple of pizzas too. She figured they would arrive during the movie.

"Don't ask MG," Lizzie said. "We'll end up watching something with superheroes."

"Ryan hasn't seen any of those yet," Hope said.

" _What_?!" MG's voice raised an octave.

"Never watched much tv," Clarke shrugged. "We usually watch whatever Hope wants."

"And you haven't introduced him to," MG drew himself up and raised his hands in the air, "the magic of _Marvel_ yet?!"

"We'll get there eventually," Hope laughed.

"How about we watch…what do you call it?" Clarke looked at Lizzie. "Shrek? What movie is that from?"

Lizzie snickered and almost fell over.

Hope tried to hold it back, but she burst out laughing too when Clarke started going through their Prime app and found it.

"Are you sure?" Hope managed to speak. "It's a cartoon. I'm sure you don't—"

" _Yes! Yes! Yes!_ " Lizzie called out, still laughing. "We've _got_ to watch it! Put it on!"

MG shook his head, "Not my favorite green guy, but why not?"

The movie started and Clarke was definitely _not_ amused.

Hope spent the first five minutes with her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh but her shaking shoulders gave her away.

"Really," Clarke kept saying, shaking his head.

"You asked for it!" Lizzie said, holding up her hand.

As the cartoon Shrek farted in the swamp water, Clarke spoke up, "I wonder if that smelled anything like that one time you burst into Hope's room and—"

Lizzie grasped MG's arm to siphon and magically threw a pillow across the room to cover his face.

"Shut up!"

"I don't want to know, do I?" MG asked, looking at Hope.

"No!" Hope shook her head, laughing.

Clarke grabbed the pillow and yanked it down.

The doorbell rang right then.

"I'll get it!" Hope yelped, happy for an interruption. She got up and ran for the pizza that arrived much sooner than she thought it would.

Bringing the boxes into the living room, she set them down on the table next to the plates she put out.

"Now, stop with the magic," she looked at Lizzie, "and the embarrassing moments," she looked at Ryan, "and eat while we enjoy the rest of the movie."

"Yes, ma'am," Lizzie said with a snicker.

They settled down with Hope cuddled up to Ryan on the couch with MG and Lizzie sitting on the love seat. Rather, MG was sitting. Lizzie had her legs stretched out on top of his and leaned against her side.

As Hope watched, she was struck by how strangely accurate some of the happenings were…

"See any similarities yet?" she murmured to Ryan, giggling slightly.

"No. And I wouldn't be retrieving the princess for anyone but myself," he murmured back, pressing his lips to her forehead.

"I need more ice," Lizzie said, leaning forward to pick up her cup.

"I'll get it," Hope said, reaching out.

"I got it," Clarke reached around. "I need a drink too."

"You know," Lizzie said, leaning back. "Shrek 2 might be my favorite of these."

"It has its moments, but I like part one better," Hope said.

"Part two does have that really cool song," MG mentioned.

"Which one?" Hope asked.

"About a hero," MG said.

Lizzie chuckled, "Always with the superheroes."

"No, it was like…" Hope thought. "Holding out for a hero..."

"Please, save the singing for next week," Lizzie held up a hand.

"Next week?" Clarke asked, passing off her drink and sitting down.

"Oh, we're having a girls' night next week," Hope explained.

"The club?" Clarke asked.

"What's this about a club now?" MG perked up.

"We went to a club on _last_ girls' night out," Lizzie said for his benefit. "But that was last time. _This_ time is much more pain inducing."

"Meaning?" Clarke said.

"Karaoke," Hope said.

MG and Clarke both snickered.

"My sister is a different species from us all, I swear," Lizzie said. "It was her idea."

"Yeah, hopefully she's not still grounded by then," Hope said.

"Aw," Lizzie faked sadness. "You mean, if she's still grounded we don't have to go? Oops. Too bad."

"So, you might not want to come to town until Saturday," Hope ignored Lizzie and talked to Ryan as if she wasn't there.

"We'll see," he said. Last time he didn't come in on Friday and ended up wishing he had.

"Next time you go to the club though…" MG looked at Lizzie.

"You'll be the first person I ask."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

"Good morning," Josie said when Jade opened her door the next morning. "I brought breakfast." She held up the bag.

Jade hesitated, half asleep, but she took the bag.

"I still don't know what to do about Garcia," Josie said, walking into the room and closing the door behind her.

"Don't you have a ride waiting for you?" Jade asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"I've got a few minutes," Josie said, sitting down next to her. "I'll try to figure out someone else to compel, I guess?"

"Yeah," Jade said, sitting the bag on the bed. She would wait until Josie left to bite into it.

Josie tossed her hair to the side and smiled at her, "We haven't had much time together lately at all, have we?"

"Nope," Jade shook her head. "And that's a darn shame."

Reaching out to fix some of the messy hair, Josie stroked her fingers through it. "And now you're not at school either. I kinda really miss you."

"I miss you too," Jade said softly, melting at Josie focusing all of her attention on her. She was so beautiful. She wanted more of that attention. But right now, she would take a hug.

Wrapping her arms around Josie, she laid her head on her shoulder and breathed deeply.

The scent of Josie's perfume mixed with one that was all her own flooded Jade's senses. The scent that reminded her of the blood she had a little bit of every morning.

 _Oh no_.

Tearing herself out of Josie's arms, she stood up and backed away.

"What's wrong?" Josie asked, leaning forward.

"I can't," Jade shook her head. "I can't do this anymore."

"Wha-wha—what do you mean?" Josie asked, eyes wide. Was Jade breaking up with her?

"The blood," Jade said, pointing at the bag. "Take it out of here. _Please_."

"Okay, I can do that," Josie moved the bag behind her back so it was out of Jade's field of vision. "Are you okay? Can I do anything?"

Jade was shaken. The yearning she felt inside scared her. She couldn't give in to that. If she did… people might die.

"Lock me up."

" _What_?!"

"I need you to lock me up," Jade said. "I'm losing it, Jos. I'm scared. The blood. I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't… I don't want to hurt you."

"Are you sure you can't—"

" _Please_." Jade looked at her with frantic, begging eyes.

Josie could see the thin black lines now spreading across her face, evidence of Jade's control about to snap.

"Let's go."

* * *

Clarke stayed in his vehicle while the rest of his team approached the quaint house sitting on a silent street in Mystic Falls surrounded by trees and various shrubs.

This was the house Jade visited yesterday afternoon.

The home owner left for work a couple hours ago. A surveillance team had kept an eye on all of the house's exits all night _with_ their crystals in place.

No one left the house.

They were all firmly convinced their target was in that house, they just didn't have visual confirmation.

Deciding it was time to get closer, the team circled the house. Somehow, an alarm was tripped. Loud sounds went off, startling the crew and destroying the element of surprise.

The team went back to their vehicles but Clarke approached the house, standing nearby until an officer showed up.

"I'm Ryan Clarke," he introduced himself. "Let Sheriff Machado know I'm here and need to speak to her."

"Clarke," Mac said when she arrived minutes later. "At least I'm speaking directly to you this time. I assume this is in regards to the same case."

"We have reason to believe she's seeking shelter here," he said.

"Visual confirmation?"

"Not yet."

Mac shook her head. "Without any actual confirmation, we can't go in there."

"You can't, but we can."

"Not as long as you're in _my_ jurisdiction," she said. "I appreciate your position and what your organization does, but I can't have you entering homes unlawfully."

He wanted to growl. If this were a government case…

But it wasn't.

So they were back to staking the house out…and the target probably knew they were there too.

 _Damn it_.

"Oh my goodness," a frightened voice called out from the street. "Sheriff? I got a call from the security company that my alarm went off. Is everything okay? Did someone try to break in?"

"No, ma'am," Mac said. "We don't believe so. It looks like it was a false alarm."

"Do you have anyone living with you?" Clarke asked.

When Mac gave him a look, he ignored it and pressed on. "Maybe they tripped the alarm?"

"Oh, it's possible," the woman said. "My cousin's daughter is staying with me for a while."

"Maybe we should talk to her? What's her name?" he suggested. "It's possible she saw something?"

"That's not possible," the woman replied. "Tiffany's very ill, stays in her room all the time."

"I'm sorry to hear about that, Mrs…?" Mac realized she didn't know the woman's name.

"We could go in and talk to her instead of her coming out here?" Clarke suggested.

"Garcia," the woman said to the sheriff before answering Clarke. "And no, you cannot go in."

" _Do not allow any police officers in this house," Jade said, staring into the dark eyes. "And_ especially _do not let anyone from an organization called Triad in."_

"But if the girl saw something?" Clarke tried again.

"Excuse me," Mac said. "Did you say Garcia?" Didn't Maya just use that name? Which reminded her, she needed to call the mayor.

"Yes," Mrs. Garcia said with a nod. "If you're done and there's been no breaking in, I really should get back to the school. I left the gym coach to watch over my class."

"You're a teacher…" Mac said.

"Yes," Mrs. Garcia said proudly.

"We'll clear out our people," Mac said before Clarke could say anything else. "It'll be like we were never here. Take care, ma'am."

"Thank you," the woman said as she walked back to her car, glancing back at them a few times.

"She would've let us in," Clarke said. "She just needed a bit more persuasion."

"No, she wouldn't have," Mac said. "I think you're right. I think the girl is in there."

"Then what are we waiting for?" he asked.

"Visual confirmation," she said.

He groaned inside. _Of course_.

"I think a vampire compelled her though," Mac said.

"I do too," he said.

"So, she never would've let us in," she continued.

"Then what now?" he asked since she wasn't giving him many options.

"Now, we take down the blockades and take turns staking out the house _without_ letting the homeowner know," she said. "The girl has to come out some time."

He was really hoping she wouldn't say that.

* * *

"Here," Lizzie said, shoving her second—much smaller—clipboard at Brock.

"What's this?" the werewolf looked down.

"Well, you see that thing over there being built?" Lizzie pointed.

"You mean the dunk tank?" he asked.

"Yes," Lizzie nodded like she was speaking to a simpleton. "This list here?" she pointed to the clipboard. "Thirty minutes increment. I need you to go around and not come back until each slot is filled."

"You mean, find volunteers for the dunk tank?" he asked, still appearing confused.

"Now you're getting it," she winked. "Wolves would probably be best, you know that whole higher body temperature thing?"

"Oh…right," he said uncertainly.

"And try to get a few female wolves signed up too," she hinted. "Make it more interesting for everyone."

"But there're only, like, three—"

She held up a finger, "Shhhh. Just go. And don't come back until every slot is filled for the entire weekend.

Lizzie left before he tried to say anything else. She was pretty sure he knew what she wanted. She intimidated him just enough that she knew he would give his all to succeed.

Looking around, she felt like today was going much better than yesterday afternoon.

The witches were working on making props for the social sharing photo booth, complete with flower crowns. Lizzie had foisted Alyssa off on them. The other witch _did_ show up again, she would give her that.

Everyone else was working independently on their activities. Ephram and his group had shown up in his truck with tires, wood, a balance beam, and all sorts of other things to build their playground of fun. Kaleb and MG borrowed a mix table in town and were figuring out how to set it to stream through headphones only, no speakers.

Hope and Ryan were sitting at a table counting M&Ms. She had to turn away before she laughed. Ryan would get to sit at a booth and take everyone's guesses for how many M&Ms were in the container. He would also have to give out small prizes for anyone who pulled a lollipop with color on the bottom. She figured by the end of the festival, he wouldn't be feeling very festive.

"Stop eating them!" Hope said when Ryan tossed another one in his mouth.

"If I eat it, I don't have to count it," he said.

"Let's just get this over with," she said. "We've got to 'get' the flowers." She used air quotes.

"Then I'll need a few more for strength," he tossed another one in his mouth.

"You're going to lose count," she said.

"No I won't…" he trailed off when he realized he already had.

"Told you," she said, putting hers back in the container and writing the number down. "I'll take half of yours."

"So…" Alyssa said, coming over to sit next to Hope with the flower crown she was working on in her hands. "I was just over there thinking… maybe there's a spell that will ensure I get into the college of my choice."

"Oh, you mean a black magic spell to influence the admission board?" Hope asked knowingly.

Alyssa shrugged, "Why not?"

"Because black magic is forbidden," Hope said, glancing at Ryan. She was glad to note he was finally focusing on counting.

"Only at the Salvatore school," Alyssa said.

"With good reason!" Hope said incredulously.

"The answer is still no," Clarke said, not looking up.

"Can't blame me for trying," Alyssa sighed.

"You're acting like you don't already _have_ good grades, Alyssa," Hope said.

"Everyone has good grades," Alyssa said dismissively. "You need more than good grades to get accepted these days."

As she walked away, Hope pushed her M&Ms away.

"I don't have any extracurriculars… just good grades," Hope told Ryan. "Do you think I'll have a problem?"

"Nope," he looked up with a smile. "I'm sure you rocked the interview."

"I… didn't do an interview," Hope said.

"What was your essay?" he asked.

"The person who is or was the biggest influence on your life?" she answered.

"Then you won't have a problem," he shrugged. "I've heard you talk about your mother. Just hearing about her can influence most people."

"I wrote about my dad."

"Then you might have a problem," he teased.

She threw an M&M at him.

"Hey, you can add monster slaying to your list of extracurriculars?" he suggested. "And if all else fails, Triad will hire you."

"You're not funny," she huffed.

"I thought it was."

Heading to check on the building of the dunk tank, Lizzie was completely blind-sided when a fiery bit of girl came raging at her with the clipboard she gave Brock earlier.

"Here!" the girl threw the board at Lizzie. "Why don't _you_ sign up for the dunk tank!"

Lizzie barely caught it, but she managed to. It was either that or the thing would beam her in the head.

"If you don't want to sign up, then don't!" Lizzie exclaimed. "There's no need to throw things at my head!"

"Every single person on that list is a _wolf_ ," the girl practically growled. "You think we're the only ones who want to be on public display like _that_ to be humiliated with your stupid little game!?"

" _Whoa_ ," Lizzie started. "It's called _volunteering_. Everyone who signed up _wanted_ to. Obviously you don't want to, and believe me, I am _fine_ with that!"

"Willa, stop," Ethan said, joining them when he noticed the girl getting too loud.

"I assume she's one of _yours_ , Ephram?" Lizzie said. " _Deal_ with that."

Ethan sighed, "Just go, Lizzie."

As the blonde walked away, Ethan turned back to the newest student at the Salvatore School.

"Willa, everything here is voluntary, even _coming_ here is," Ethan explained.

"I know that, but why are we following _her_?" she asked, brushing back her long chestnut locks. "She's treating us like we're _dogs_. And she doesn't even show you the respect you deserve."

"She treats everyone the same," he noticed that right off the bat. "And she recognizes me as the werewolf alpha."

"She doesn't even call you by your name," she snapped.

"Whoa, okay," he said. "She has a thing about nicknames. It's really not that serious. And I know you're new here but running around and throwing things at people isn't going to endear you to anyone."

"Especially not the headmaster's daughter, is that what you're trying to say?" she said.

Ethan knew being alpha would come with some trials, but the newest student was definitely not what he anticipated. She triggered her curse a couple weeks back and hadn't gone through her first full moon yet. He wondered if that was why she was constantly on edge. He knew most wolves had a temper, the school was supposed to help with anger management issues. His temper had never gotten completely out of control thankfully, but this girl was a firecracker waiting to go off at the littlest thing.

"Especially not _anyone_ , is what I'm saying," he said. "I think it might be best for you to sit this one out until you've had a few more sessions with Emma."

She glared at him, not appreciating his telling her what to do.

"Stand down," he said firmly, glaring right back.

It took a moment, but she finally did as he said. She took a step back and dropped her glare.

"Sit with the other wolves until the bus is ready to go back," he instructed. "And don't start any more fights."

She nodded stiffly and left to join the wolves.

"I still want an activity," Alyssa said, hunting down Lizzie. "I'm here today. I'm working. Give me something."

"The restrooms might need cleaning?" Lizzie suggested.

"Ha ha," Alyssa said sarcastically.

Lizzie sighed, "You can run the three legged race on Saturday. Depending on how many people sign up, you could have more than one race. Then the winners run again. Think you can handle that?"

"Three legged race?"

"Just give each team a scarf to tie their legs together," Lizzie said. "They'll do the rest."

"Sounds easy enough," Alyssa shrugged.

"Now, get back to work," Lizzie said.

"And _you_ ," Lizzie turned when she saw Brock. "Take _this_ ," she slammed the small clipboard against his chest, "I don't want to see it again until it's full. I don't care _who_ volunteers. Just fill it up! Chop chop!"

She grinned to herself when Brock grabbed the board and took off like the hounds of hell were upon him.

She loved being in charge.

* * *

"Think we have enough?"

Clarke collapsed on the couch.

"Ten." He held up his hands. "We gave her _ten_ different flowers, and about a thousand of each of them. She wanted bright and lively and _spring_ -like. She got it."

Hope walked behind him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Awww, did growing all those flowers take a lot out of you?" she asked, massaging his shoulders like she had any idea what she was doing.

"Not really," he said. "But keep doing that."

She laughed, "So, what are we doing tonight?"

He tilted his head all the way back and looked up at her, "I could think of a thing or two."

Considering his words, she grinned slowly, "You know… I have one exam tomorrow, my last one… and it's not until noon."

"Which means?"

"Maybe I should message Alyssa," she said suggestively.

"Maybe you should," he said.

She leaned down and kissed him upside down.

"Be right back," she laughed, pulling away and heading to the kitchen where she left her phone.

"You know where I'll be," he said, standing and heading for the bedroom.

"Don't start without me," she called out.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he called back as he unbuckled his belt and shucked his jeans off. How he had been here half the week already and this was the first time he got her in the bedroom with him was beyond him.

He had to admit though, even with the working, he was having… _fun_ this week.

Usually, he preferred spending time alone with Hope. But they were working together, joking and teasing each other, and they had friends over—if one could call Lizzie and MG _friends_ —and did normal couple things.

Things he never did before, but he loved every minute of it.

"My absence tonight is covered," she said, joining him in their room. "Let me help you with that."

She walked over and pulled his shirt up and off.

"Thanks," he grinned. "Now let me help you with that."

Instead of pulling off her clothes, he grasped her waist and nearly threw her on the bed while climbing on top of her.

"You may be confused about this whole helping thing," she laughed but wrapped her legs around him anyway. "I'm still fully clothed."

"I'll get there eventually," he murmured, his body pressing against hers as his lips found hers, drinking her in slowly because, after all, he had all night to get there.

* * *

She should have brought a book.

Jade stared at the ceiling, lying prone on her cot.

At least Rafael stopped with his changing for the evening. She wasn't sure she could stand listening to his screams much longer. She didn't know how Landon stayed with him the entire time. Props to him for being there for his best friend and brother though.

After spending the entire day in solitary confinement, she wasn't sure if she felt better or worse. But she was sure feeling stupid.

She knew better.

One night of bloody mayhem ten years ago completely changed her life. _Why_ did she think she could consume human blood in any form and not be affected by it? She took the classes—it was required curriculum for vampires—and anyone who turned out to be a ripper should know to _never_ tempt fate.

So why had she let Josie talk her into it?

She couldn't blame Josie though. This was all on _her_. Wendy was _her_ friend. She agreed to this.

Heck, if she wasn't worried she would go on another bloody rampage she would _still_ be helping.

Josie wanted to compel someone else to help since Garcia couldn't. Jade would've done it, but it definitely wasn't possible now.

She was done.

Not another drop of human blood would ever cross her lips.

She was making that vow to herself, here and now.

And she would let Josie know just as soon as her girlfriend could sneak to see her.

Jade wanted to keep her problem on the down low and, with Josie being grounded, she couldn't visit until no one was keeping an eye on her.

But Jade _had_ told Josie it was okay to let at least one other person know, so when she heard footsteps in the corridor leading to her cell, she knew who it was before he even entered the area.

"J," she smiled, sitting up.

"Hey, J," Jed said, grabbing a folding chair that was leaning against the wall, he brought it close to the bars and sat. "J said you were here. What's going on?"

Instead of explaining everything to him, she told him a partial truth.

"It's the being here all day with nothing to do," she said. "Everyone's studying, no classes, and I just lost control."

"You didn't hurt anyone though?" he said. He hadn't heard anything and something like a vampire losing control was gossip gold at their school.

"No," she shook her head. "But I wanted to… I'm here because it's my choice. I didn't trust myself. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do."

"How long do you think you'll be here?" he asked, looking around the cell.

"I don't know," she said with a sigh. "Until I trust myself again? Maybe prison really _is_ where I belong. Keep an eye on Wade for me since I'll probably end up rotting here."

"I don't agree," he said. "We all have problems with control. Losing it _or_ wanting it. Look at me; I was the biggest school bully when I was alpha."

"You?" Jade said in disbelief. "I don't believe it."

Jed had to laugh remembering how he was back then. He had so much to learn. He never should have been alpha.

"Believe it," he said. "When Raf challenged me, I lost it. Even beat the crap out of Landon because of it. But I got through it. You'll get through this too. And you don't gotta do it alone either. Remember, us—"

"—Js stick together," she finished for him with a wink.

"You got it," he grinned.

She had to shake her head. Knowing Jed as she did, she would never think this sweet and sensitive guy could _ever_ be a bully.

_Wait…_

The sweet and sensitive guy who used to be a big time bully… How many times had she heard that before? She knew how Jed felt about Alyssa. She knew there was no faking that, so he definitely _did_ like her. What she didn't know was how Jed felt about Ethan. The big mystery she could never solve, was it really that simple?

Thinking it through, she remembered everything Jed ever told her. His parents didn't make time for him but when they did he was presented like the prized son to show off. All other times they ignored him which made him strive to be the best in everything he did to prove his worth—from alpha to sports to school. She could see him continuing with that, right down to making the choices for his life that _they_ would approve of.

If she really thought about it, before the alpha challenge, Jed was still friendly with Ethan, just not the best of besties like they were when Ethan went to Mystic Falls High. It was almost like Jed was aware of something but was trying not to make a big deal about it.

It wasn't until _after_ Ethan became alpha that anyone realized there was a problem with Jed around Ethan. The pack alpha was the leader, the one the wolves went to with everything, including their problems. How could Jed go to his alpha with a problem…if that problem was feelings he might have _for_ the alpha?

Was Jed into girls _and_ guys?

Of all things, didn't he know he could come to _her_ about this?

But, no, she could see what happened. As sensitive as he was, he still couldn't bring himself to share his feelings with _anyone_ —especially not after he shared his feelings with Alyssa and she stomped on them. Jed couldn't even go to the school counselor either, not after he embarrassed himself with her during that whole Cupid incident.

Jade was right all along. Jed just needed _time_. She didn't think he was hiding any of this because he was ashamed. She was pretty sure he just didn't know _how_ to talk about it. And, again, he was still searching for that parental approval. He didn't even really hate Ethan. In his bid to push everything away until he figured it out, he pushed Ethan away the hardest.

As badly as Jade's gaydar had messed up with Jed though, she knew Ethan was as straight as they came. Even if Jed ever found the words, it wasn't going to happen.

The thing about Ethan though, Jade knew with absolute certainty that the day Jed finally figured out how to talk about his feelings Ethan would say all the right words.

Ethan was a lot of things, a good and supportive friend being at the top of that list.

Until then though, Jade would keep being there for Jed…as best she could be in a prison cell anyway.

"So…how goes the event planning?" Jade asked, changing the subject.

"It's coming along," Jed said. "The new girl threw a clipboard at Lizzie's head."

"No way," Jade laughed. "What happened?"

"Something about females being put on display inappropriately?" Jed said. "Mostly she was pissed Lizzie suggested the wolves should be the ones wearing swim trunks and bikinis for the dunk tank."

"Isn't that a volunteer thing though?" she asked.

"Yes," Jed nodded. "Which is exactly what Ethan told her after he got her to calm down."

"Too bad I'm in here," she said. "I would've signed up. I rock a bikini."

"You can have one of my slots?" Jed offered.

"You mean, you're gonna…" Jade started laughing.

"Hey, you're not the only one who can rock a swimsuit," he said.

"Touché!" she smiled.

"So, there's actually another reason I'm here…" he said.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Uh… bubbles?" he raised an eyebrow reminding her she said she would help with that task.

Jade laughed even harder, feeling more normal than she had all week.

"Here's what you need to do…"

* * *

Josie was at her wits end.

Triad surrounded Wendy but couldn't get to her yet.

And neither could Josie.

Jade was in a prison cell refusing to drink human blood ever again.

And Josie was _grounded_ and couldn't do anything but listen to Wendy complaining to her on the phone once _again_.

Josie had absolutely no idea what to do.

She was beginning to think Clarke had won after all.

* * *

It was the day before the first night of the big event and everything was coming together perfectly.

Lizzie couldn't be happier!

Volunteers were everywhere. All of the equipment and booth panels had been moved from the storage bays. The booths were being set up and hammered together. The signs placed on each. There were even arrows to direct festival goers. Extension cords, hoses, generators, and all other electronics needed were being hooked up and tested. All tents were already raised and she couldn't wait to sample the silent disco. The totes would be placed within each booth later on to make set-up fast and easy tomorrow.

And the _flowers_.

She didn't know how Hope and Ryan had done it but the entire place was bursting with color. Pink, yellow, white, blue, purple, orange—flowers in all the brightest colors and so many different ones! Pansies, sunflowers, irises, violets. She would've accused them of robbing a flower shop if the flowers didn't look so wild and rustic. Some of the witches were having a blast decorating with them. She only hoped the flowers all stayed alive and in bloom for most of the weekend.

Basically everything was fenced off at this point. Lizzie looked at the area where the vendors would set up their food carts the next day. The street would be shut down there. Further down, the path led to the fenced-off parking lot where the Ferris Wheel stood tall and proud. She had to check in with the carnys, but she saw the inspector earlier. Even _that_ was ready.

"Lizzie!"

She turned around and grinned, seeing Hope approaching her.

"Everything looks so good!" Hope exclaimed. "How's the big wheel going?"

"It's ready too," Lizzie said. "I can't wait to ride it. Overlooking Mystic Falls? Especially at night? Talk about beautiful."

"And romantic," Hope added. "Ryan's been extra romantic all week even if _he_ might try to deny it. I'm definitely getting him up there with me."

"You know, I bet it'll be much more fun without all the festival goers," Lizzie said almost to herself.

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" Hope asked with a mischievous grin.

"That it won't be dark for another hour but we really should make sure the lights look good at night before we leave, don't you think?" Lizzie asked with a smug smile.

"Not a bad idea," Hope said. "Maybe we should check out the disco tent too?"

"It's like you're reading my mind," Lizzie said. "Where's Shrek?"

"With Ethan," Hope explained. "They're setting up the last booth. Everyone else is mostly done. The community volunteers are already leaving and the students are waiting outside the bus for the 'all-clear' from their fearless leader."

"Let me just send them on their way then," Lizzie said, her tone infusing her excitement for later.

The students were more than glad to be granted their leave though they were all clearly excited about seeing their hard work payoff for the event.

"Here you go!" Brock said, popping up next to Lizzie holding out the clipboard. "All slots have been filled!"

" _Thank_ you," Lizzie said, taking the board and looking down the list.

"No problem," he said. "Here to help." Then he practically ran on the bus.

"Uh, Hope?" Lizzie asked, reading down the list.

"Yes?"

"Does Shrek know you signed up for some of these?" Lizzie asked.

"Only two," Hope shrugged. "Apparently you told Brock to ask wolves, especially the girls? He was sweating; he was so scared of you. How could I say no?"

"Well, the children's hospital thanks you," Lizzie said. "You _do_ have a bikini, right? We want to make sure the donations are well padded."

"I'll wear what I want to wear," Hope said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course you will," Lizzie said with a long suffering sigh.

Noting the time, she called out, "Daddy!"

Alaric was waiting for the students to load on the bus before he got on himself.

"I've got my car. I have a few more things I need to check on. Hope and I will be back later, okay?" she said.

"And me," Alyssa said loudly, stepping up next to the girls. She raised an eyebrow at Lizzie, daring her to disagree.

"And… Alyssa," Lizzie managed to say as pleasantly as possible.

"Don't stay too late," was all Alaric said before he got on the bus.

"I probably should've mentioned MG too," Lizzie said, realizing she hadn't seen him get on the bus. She saw Kaleb though. "I wonder where he is…"

As the bus drove off, Clarke appeared around a corner with MG and Ethan following him.

"Uh…" Ethan watched the bus leave. "We just finished putting the last booth together… Guess they forgot me?"

"Me too," MG shook his head. Ethan called him over when they needed an extra set of hands to adjust a stubborn board.

"Guess you're stuck with us," Hope said, grabbing Clarke's hand. "Come on, MG. We gotta make sure _every_ thing is working properly before tomorrow. Including your disco."

"Oh, it's working," MG boasted.

"I guess we're dancing then?" Ethan asked hesitantly.

"Keep up, Ephram," Lizzie said, following after the others. "You too, Alyssa, if you want a ride later."

Ethan glanced at Alyssa but immediately dismissed her. He heard the rumors. He knew this girl had done something to Jed. Jed hadn't confided in him any details of Christmas break, but he _had_ told him how much he liked her before that. Ethan also noticed Kaleb never talked to Jed anymore either. He knew it had something to do with her.

He didn't have much use for a girl who hurt his friend.

"So, _how_ are we all supposed to fit in your car?" Alyssa asked, ignoring the werewolf alpha too. "The three of them stuffed in your backseat like sardines?"

"Well, I don't have any exams tomorrow, and Ryan and I are supposed to meet Lizzie early, so…" Hope looked over her shoulder at Alyssa with a grin.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "It's a wonder you haven't been caught yet."

"Because Daddy's a little pre-occupied with his other darling daughter," Lizzie said with a sigh, suddenly wishing Josie were there to see all of this. Life just wasn't the same without her sister by her side helping with the biggest event of Lizzie's life to date.

"You mean the delinquent?" Clarke piped up.

"That's my sister you're disparaging," Lizzie warned.

"Do you know what they're talking about?" Ethan asked MG.

MG shrugged as he pulled the tent flap open, "I just work here."

"The headsets are to your right," he continued, calling out to everyone as they passed him. "Grab a set and give me a minute to get everything going."

When the music started, MG pressed another button so lights flickered throughout the darkened tent area.

He had to laugh as everyone began dancing to music he couldn't hear. He put on his own headset just as a Lizzie startled him by tapping his arm.

She motioned for him to follow her, so he did.

They all danced around, laughing though no one could hear each other.

Hope knew Ryan was just following along. This was _not_ his kind of music, but he was participating for her benefit and she loved that.

She broke off from the group to dance with him. Turning in his embrace, she stood with her back to his front and danced against him. She gave him an exaggerated come hither look over her shoulder. He knew she was acting silly, but he still grasped her hips to pull her back more firmly against him. She knew she should feel a little more embarrassed doing this in front of the others but one glance at them showed that they weren't paying attention to her at all.

Alyssa was trying to dance with MG at the same time Lizzie was. MG ended up going back and forth between them, mouthing 'help' to Ethan who just grinned and shook his head. He didn't want any part of _that_. Ethan made his way to the controls, curious about the music and if he could figure out how to change the song.

Lizzie put up with Alyssa as long as she could before she noticed there wasn't anymore sunlight coming through beneath the tent floor. Glancing at the clock on her cell, she knew it was dark enough for what she wanted to do next.

Taking her headset off, she went to the entrance and grabbed a wipe to clean it off. Waving the wipe in the air, she managed to get everyone else's attention.

Knowing what was coming next, Hope wasted no time in grabbing Ryan's headset along with hers to wipe them down too.

"Where to now?" Clarke asked, seeing the look on her face.

"We've gotta check the outside lights," Lizzie said, holding the flap back as everyone left the tent. "MG, go turn them on!"

"On it," he said, taking off.

A few seconds later, the overhead lights came on.

"Yes!" Lizzie said proudly, looking around. "It's perfect!"

"It really is," Hope said, leaning back against Ryan.

"So, that's it?" Alyssa asked. "Are we leaving now?"

"Well," Lizzie said with a co-conspirator look at Hope, " _you_ can leave if you want. As for the rest of us…"

"Just a little surprise," Hope winked and looked up at Ryan.

"What'd I miss?" MG said, joining them again.

"Come on," Lizzie grabbed his arm. "This time, you're sticking with _me_."

Hope grinned to herself. Good ole' Lizzie. For someone who always claimed she wasn't into MG, she certainly seemed to be all over him tonight—and all week for that matter.

"I'll be right back," Lizzie said before going to find the carny once they all reached the parking lot.

"Wait," Alyssa said, looking at Hope. "Are we riding the Ferris Wheel?"

Nodding, Hope said, "Lizzie's going to tell the operator we need to ride it at least once, just to make sure everything's set up properly."

"Wasn't there already an inspector out here for that?" Ethan asked.

"Yes," Hope said. "And we got the all clear so…"

Clarke watched, knowing that the game operator would probably be annoyed about being disturbed when he technically wasn't on the clock. Watching Lizzie's smile tighten from afar as she spoke with him, he knew he was going to have to step in if he wanted to make Hope and Lizzie happy.

"Be right back," he murmured to Hope as he left.

"Where are you—" she cut off as she watched him.

"What's he doing?" MG asked.

"What he always does,' she said with a smile. "Gets things done."

Sure enough, after Ryan spoke with the guy, Lizzie was joining them again with excitement lighting up her face.

"We're going up!" Lizzie exclaimed.

Hope was the only one still watching Ryan and she saw him slip the guy a few folded notes. He totally bribed him. She wasn't surprised. Ryan didn't like taking 'no' for an answer from anyone.

When Lizzie latched onto MG's arm, he felt his breath quicken. Back in the tent, he was being pulled in two directions and didn't have time to think about anything, but now he could.

Lizzie wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel with _him_.

Was this still a part of her whole "friend zone" thing? It didn't feel that way to him but he would never ask. He had told her and _shown_ her in a million ways that he wanted to be more than friends with her although he would accept friendship if that was all she wanted.

If she ever changed her mind and decided she wanted him, it would be up to _her_ to take that next step. He would never overstep the boundary she set for him.

Still, it would be nice to ride with Lizzie.

Clarke returned to Hope and took her arm to lead her up into the next seat.

"Ever been on one of these before?" Hope asked as she climbed in.

"Can't say that I have," he said, settling in next to her.

"Well, now you can't say that anymore," she said as she brought the metal lever down across their laps.

"Ladies first," Ethan made a gesture for Alyssa to go first. He wasn't going to ride with her, but he could let her get on the ride before him.

Alyssa walked up and sat down. Then she looked back at him.

"You're not going to make me go alone, are you!?" Alyssa asked in disbelief.

"Uh, yeah?" Ethan said.

The operator tried to lower her bar but she wouldn't let him.

"No!" Alyssa said. "He's coming!"

"No," Ethan told the guy. "I'm not."

"I don't have all night," the operator complained.

"I'm not letting you put that thing down until he joins me," Alyssa sat back with her arms crossed.

The guy looked at Ethan, "Just ride with the girl."

Ethan sighed and gave in.

"Just stay _far_ over there," he said, sitting down and letting the operator lock them in.

"Like I want you near me," she said haughtily.

"Um, _hello_?!" Ethan raised his hands to point out the obvious.

"I just didn't want to go alone," she said stiffly. "I've never gone on one of these be _FORE!"_

She squealed the last of her sentence as the ride pitched them backwards.

"Relax," he said leaning back and staring up with a sigh. "It's the safest most boring ride at most fairs."

"Then why does everyone make a big deal about them?" she asked, gripping onto the lock latch tightly as they slowly rose in the air.

"Because they're also romantic," he said. "Hard to see that right now, I know."

"Ohh," she said as they kept going higher. "Ohh, this isn't okay."

"Sure, it is," he shrugged. "Now be quiet so I an enjoy it."

"I think…I'm afraid of heights," she said, grabbing even tighter onto the latch and inching closer to him.

"You think?" he said. "Don't you know?"

"I've never been this high up," she said, not even realizing she was now plastered against his side.

Frowning in distaste, he shifted away from her, "Try closing your eyes, or don't look down. Trust me, we aren't going anywhere."

She struggled to do what he suggested.

"Seems your new friend isn't so fond of heights," MG said with a small laugh having heard the other group by accident. He couldn't always control his heightened hearing.

"Stop focusing on her, not when you can take in this view," Lizzie said, sweeping her hand out.

"It does look nice," MG agreed.

Lizzie sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I did it, MG," she said. "I overcame all the crap going on with me and I actually planned this whole thing."

"You did," he agreed, relaxing and smiling down at her.

"With help, of course," she added.

"Help _you_ organized," he said.

"I did, didn't I?" she said with a little yawn.

"You're not going to fall asleep on me, are you?" he asked.

"No," she said. "But I think it's just because I'm exhausted, not one of the side effects. So _there's_ an upside."

"Good," he said.

"Thanks for everything," she murmured.

"Anything," he smiled. "All you've got to do is ask."

"I'll remember that," she said, staring up into the beautiful night sky.

She was struck with the realization that she was living one of the most perfect moments of her life.

And she was living it with him.

"I know you were here for work," Hope said, cuddled against Ryan in the seat as best as she could, "but I've loved this week."

It was honestly one of the best weeks of her life.

Having Ryan _right there_ whenever she didn't have school reminded her of the month when she spent every waking hour with him. She couldn't get enough of having him around. Why couldn't he have a job in town all the time?

Because he wouldn't be Ryan if he wasn't out monster hunting.

"Me too," he murmured. He couldn't agree more. As annoyed as he was over the entire Wendy situation, he was glad to have this time with Hope. It gave him a glimpse into a future he very much looked forward to.

"I love you," she said because she couldn't think of anything more perfect to say in that moment.

"I love you too," he said, leaning down to meet her lips.

She thought of the Fourth of July as internal fireworks went off.

Another holiday she looked forward to.

"Move over, please," Ethan bit out.

"Is it almost over?" Alyssa asked, clenching her eyes closed.

"God, I hope so," Ethan said, practically hanging over his side to get away from her.

"Why are you such a jerk?"

"Takes one to know one," he said, not caring that he sounded like a child. His patience had left about ten minutes ago.

He looked around and saw that Lizzie and MG were on the ground now.

"Look, they're getting off," he said, relieved.

"I'm not looking," she said, clutching his arm in an iron tight grip.

"Fine, just let go," he tugged his arm away.

"Why don't you like me anyway?" she asked. "I've never done anything to you…I don't think so anyway."

"Jed's my friend," he bit out.

Miraculously, that distracted her from her height problem enough for her to scoot away from him.

"Whatever he told you—" she started.

"He didn't tell me anything."

"Well, _for the record_ ," she said, "I never promised him anything."

"I don't really need to hear—"

"No one ever bothered asking me," she huffed. "They all just _assumed_. Ooh, Alyssa and Jed are arguing. Oh, and what's that? O-M-G, they _slept_ together." She said sarcastically.

"Why are you telling _me_?" He didn't want to know any of this. Not from _her_.

"Because you're judging me, just like the rest of them, trying to make me feel bad for not wanting to be his girlfriend," she said. "Well, news flash, sometimes people don't _want_ more. And people shouldn't _expect_ more especially when no promises were made in the first place."

The ride stopped as it was their turn to disembark.

Ethan got out as quickly as he could, needing to get away from her.

She _had_ hurt Jed, he wasn't wrong about that, and he still didn't like her.

But she hadn't _meant_ to hurt Jed.

At least that was something.

"How was it!" Hope asked, grinning at Ethan.

Judging by the looks on the faces of the others, they had enjoyed their ride _much_ more than he did.

"Fantastic," he lied. "Thanks for letting me tag along."

"That was my father's doing," Lizzie said, "but you're welcome."

"Ready to head back?" MG asked. "I've got an exam in the morning."

"We'll see you in the morning," Hope told Lizzie.

"At—"

"Eight A-M on the dot," Hope and Ryan said at the same time, having heard it multiple times before.

"Good," Lizzie smirked.

"Tomorrow is going to be _epic_!" she finished.

* * *

"Where is she?" Clarke asked the next morning.

"I don't know?" Hope shrugged. "She'll be here soon."

It was 8:05am and Lizzie had not arrived yet.

They needed Lizzie to let them in, though Hope _could_ magically undo the lock, but they were out in the open.

So, they would wait for now.

A few minutes later a familiar blue car drove past and pulled into public parking.

"Sorry!" Lizzie exclaimed, walking quickly across the parking lot while juggling her clipboards and some bags. "I'm here, I'm here."

"And yet, it's after eight," Clarke had to point out.

"I only said _you_ had to be here at eight," Lizzie returned.

"She's got you there," Hope said.

Lizzie unlocked the fence.

"Okay, go, go," she exclaimed. "The community volunteers will start showing up in a couple hours. And the vendors in an hour, and—"

" _Breathe_ ," Hope said, gripping the blonde's arms. "We're here to help."

"Right," Lizzie nodded.

"We're going to start setting up the games, okay?" Hope said. "They'll be ready when the volunteers start arriving."

"Perfect," Lizzie nodded again but she started looking around like she was confused.

"Do you want to help us with the games until the vendors arrive?" Hope asked since Lizzie uncertain.

"I guess," Lizzie said. "Will there be potatoes?"

"I… don't know?" Hope stumbled over her words, glancing at Clarke.

"No doubt," he said. "At least one of the vendors will have fries."

"Good," Lizzie nodded, then started going through her bags again.

"Put those over there," Hope said, pointing and waiting until she did. "Good, now grab the clipboard, take a deep breath, and come with me. We've got a bunny race to set up."

"I'll set up the balloon darts," Clarke said. "Are the balloon boards in your car?"

Lizzie tried to think. She was feeling strange all morning. Her mind was a little sluggish. She wondered why.

"Pedro," she finally said. "Gave him the balloons yesterday. His friends blew them up…taped them to boards."

"Right," Clarke nodded, raising an eyebrow. "And they're in your car?"

"I think?" she raised a hand to her forehead.

"Why don't you guys go get the boards," Clarke said, glancing at Hope. "And let her lay down for a bit. I'll set up the bunny race."

"Okay," Hope said, agreeing immediately and taking Lizzie's arm.

Lizzie let Hope lead her away.

They were outside of the fenced in area when Lizzie pulled away.

"No," she shook her head. "I can't lay down. I have a million things to do."

"It's okay," Hope said, trying to placate her. "Me and Ryan will get everything set up, and we'll even meet with the vendors if we need to. Just relax. Have you had breakfast yet? I can go to the Grill and pick something up? They might have potatoes?"

"What is it with you and _potatoes_!?" Lizzie huffed. "What is your problem?!"

"I—" Hope had no idea how to respond.

What was going on? Lizzie wasn't making any sense.

"There's a monster, isn't there?" Lizzie looked around. "There's always another monster. I knew it. I knew it."

"There aren't any monsters," Hope said. "Remember, Malivore is gone?"

"No!" Lizzie pulled away when Hope reached for her again. "Its not, its not, its not."

Hope didn't know what to do. Lizzie wasn't shouting, but her voice was getting louder and she was repeating the same words over and over again.

"It's not what?" Hope asked. "I want to help. What do you need?"

Hope racked her mind but she was coming up empty. Lizzie wasn't having a panic attack, and she didn't seem depressed. She just seemed…

Like she was completely out of her mind.

That was when Lizzie started screaming at imaginary creatures.

" _No! Go away!_ "

Some of the cars across the street started to shake.

 _Oh no_ , Hope thought.

"What's happening?" Clarke called out, rushing to join them having heard the screams.

"She thinks there's a monster?" Hope said. "Is there a monster? Ryan, I don't see anything!"

"She's hallucinating," he circled around Lizzie, cursing when the fence started shaking too. "Knock her out! Use a spell!"

" _Somnum_!"

Lizzie's scream cut off suddenly as she passed out.

Clarke and Hope both grabbed for her at the same time, holding her up.

"I don't know what happened!" Hope exclaimed. "She started talking all crazy and then the screaming."

He dug his keys out of his pocket and tossed them to her.

"Get the car," he said.

Hope gripped the keys and started running while Clarke slid an arm under Lizzie's knees and lifted her up in his arms.

By the time he got to the car, she had it started and the back door open for him to get in with Lizzie.

She slammed his door shut then got back in the front and drove off.

"Where am I going?" she said.

"The Salvatore School," he said. "I'm pretty sure she had a psychotic break."

"Oh my God," Hope said, her foot pressing down further on the accelerator. "But she's taking her medication."

"I don't think it matters anymore," he said, his mind racing as dread curled in his gut. "I'm pretty sure it's the darkness.

"The darkness we don't know how to stop."


	14. Something's Wrong With Josie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I own nothing but my own words._
> 
> **This chapter is dedicated to my bestie, Vicky! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, V!! I LOVE YOU!**

Hope was scared to death.

At Ryan's words, she couldn't help but think of the way darkness had already ruined so much of her family. Eventually she had grown strong enough to fight it and protect her family by putting the darkness completely in herself. Back then she was arrogant and naïve enough that she thought she could hold it at bay and control it. But she couldn't.

Her father and uncle paid the price for that mistake.

And now darkness was overwhelming Lizzie.

She knew it wasn't the same. She knew this wasn't The Hollow. She knew it was the darkness from the twin bond, but they didn't know enough. Was anyone even alive who knew _anything_ that would help?

Lizzie was her best friend. She was family. She cared about her.

Had her caring for her done this?

That's what always happened, didn't it?

The people she cared about didn't just die on her. It was _her_ fault they died, wasn't it?

She cared so much about seeing her dad, she got her mother killed.

She cared so much about removing The Hollow from her family so they could actually _be_ a family, she got her father and uncle killed.

And she cared so much about Lizzie and Josie that when she thought she found a way to save them from the merge, she jumped at it.

She prayed she hadn't gotten _them_ killed too.

Stopping the merge and dissolving the link to the seal, everything _should_ have been fine. Aunt Freya and the witches said it was possible to undo it all. But they, like the rest of them, didn't know for sure what would happen after that.

But Ryan knew.

He warned them all.

However, when the alternative was the certainty that the twins would _have_ to merge versus the potential problems from going ahead with their plan, they all thought it was worth the risk.

Glancing at Lizzie lying passed out in the backseat through the rearview mirror, even though Ryan also said if they were going to do it they should do it _now_ , she wondered if they should have waited. Because the plan had gone wrong, the darkness was proving too strong, and instead of losing Lizzie at twenty-two, there was a very real chance they might lose her _now_.

"Slow down," Clarke said as he shifted to pull his phone out of his pocket.

Realizing her foot was nearly pressed to the floor, she let up. He was right. They needed to get to the school and she didn't have her license yet. If they got pulled over, they would have a problem.

Clarke dialed the number he was looking for.

"Lizzie's having a psychotic break," he said when Alaric answered. "She'll need to be sedated. Prepare the infirmary."

"Clarke? She's what—what's going on?" the man stumbled over his words.

"Ten minutes. I'm coming in," Clarke finished and hung up. He didn't care what Saltzman said, he was going into that school and not leaving until they figured out how to help Lizzie. If they had to lock the hybrid up while he was there, so be it.

One thing about Ryan, Hope was glad to note, he was always amazing in a crisis. Whereas most people looked to her to save the day, he operated in crisis mode on a daily basis working for Triad. He knew what needed to be done and he took care of it. Today she was grateful for that because her fear was flooding her.

Clarke swiped through his phone and dialed another number.

"I need all available operatives at the spring festival in Mystic Falls immediately," he said.

"Sir, the target is surrounded."

"Leave two on her and send the rest to town square," he commanded.

"Two, sir?"

Hearing the incredulous tone, Clarke knew command post was questioning whether two were enough to bring the target down. She liked to kill in pairs.

"If she leaves, tell them to follow, not engage."

"Mission at town square, sir?"

"Take over and make sure everything goes off without a hitch."

"Sir?"

"The festival runs all weekend, to midday Sunday," he said.

"Mission goal?"

"To make this year's spring festival the best the town has ever known," he bit out. He would've rolled his eyes at his own words if the situation weren't so grim.

He hung up before more could be said. It definitely wasn't an actual mission and his team knew it, but he really didn't care.

"Sending your team to help with the festival is nice and all," Hope said, "But aren't you here to capture Wendy?"

"Lizzie is going to be _fine_ ," he said, meeting her gaze in the rearview mirror for a moment, not allowing her to disagree with him. "And when she wakes, she'll be pissed if the festival went to shit while she was out."

"Everyone will understand she had a medical emergency," Hope said.

"It's important to her," he said firmly, leaving it at that.

He scrolled through his phone again.

"Who are you calling now?"

"Headquarters," he replied. "They're trying to stop the darkness, but I need something more."

"What's that?"

"Everything there is to know about the Gemini Coven."

* * *

At least Hope _thought_ Ryan was keeping his head during the crisis, but the second he ran out of people to call, he started tapping his foot so hard he would've put a hole in the bottom of the car if he were a werewolf or vampire.

She had _never_ felt anxious energy coming from Ryan, but she did now. She could see him check on Lizzie, then check his phone, then look ahead to see how close they were to the school. She was going at last twenty miles over the speed limit and _her_ anxiety was encouraging her to edge the speedometer higher and higher. He hadn't corrected her again, so he must not care anymore.

Doctor Saltzman was waiting when they arrived. He pulled the backdoor open but was forced to step back when Ryan grabbed Lizzie and got out of the car with her.

"I've got her," Alaric said to the air as Clarke completely ignored him and dashed into the school.

"What happened?" he asked Hope as she raced around to follow.

"She started having hallucinations, screaming about monsters and potatoes," Hope said, rushing inside with Doctor Saltzman keeping up at her side. "I put her to sleep, but I don't know how long before it wears off."

"Caroline and Josie are setting everything up," he said as they jogged down the hall, trying to keep up with Clarke. He got the call two minutes after leaving to drop Josie off at school, so he easily turned back around and waited.

As they reached the infirmary, they were greeted by a loud voice.

"What are _you_ doing here!?" Josie glared.

Clarke completely ignored her too and rushed to lay Lizzie down on the bed Caroline was setting up.

"Hope used magic to knock her out, but I don't know how long it will last," he told Caroline. "Do you have the sedative?"

"Is that really necessary?" Caroline said.

"Yes," he nodded.

Hope went around the other side of the bed. Noting the straps on the side, she winced as she grabbed it and started wrapping it around Lizzie's right arm.

"Is _that_ really necessary?" Alaric asked.

"Restraining her?" Josie asked.

"You didn't see her," Hope said. "I don't want her to hurt herself."

Clarke did the strap on the other side, as Caroline came back with the sedative and administered it to Lizzie's arm.

"Okay, can someone tell me what is going on?" Caroline asked when she was done.

"It's the darkness," Clarke said.

"It's _not_ ," Josie argued. "She said she's just naturally getting worse."

"She was in denial," Hope said.

A sudden draft of air greeted them as MG appeared having vamp sped to the room.

"Sorry! I heard students talking. They saw Clarke carrying her," he stepped closer. "What happened?" He left in the middle of his exam. He didn't care if he failed. Lizzie was more important.

"She wasn't in denial," Josie snapped. "She knows herself better than either of _you_. She increased her medication and she was doing fine!"

"She increased her medication?" Alaric looked at Caroline with a frown.

"Yes," Caroline said, frowning back at Ric. "She's been taking more control of her mental health. She attends the meetings bi-weekly on her own and I get updates afterwards. She recognized increased signs of depression and she took the steps she needed to adjust."

"We," Hope glanced at Ryan, "don't think her symptoms were increasing naturally."

"What does he know anyway?" Josie said.

"I know that her symptoms have increased at least three times overnight, including today," Clarke nearly snapped back at her. "Not gradually, not _naturally_."

"But she didn't think you were right?" Caroline asked.

"She was scared," MG said, not having taken his eyes off of Lizzie lying prone since he arrived. "She didn't want to admit it could be anything else. Because if it was…"

"Which is why we're looking for a solution," Hope said.

"And where _is_ this solution?" Josie said, glaring at Clarke because every time Hope said 'we' she knew who she meant. "You've been working so hard to find one, and you haven't yet, have you?"

Clarke didn't bother responding to her. His glare his only reply.

"This isn't helping," MG mumbled.

"No, it _isn't_ ," Josie said. "Just like _he_ isn't helping. He's not even allowed to be here. Why is he here?" She looked at her father.

"He's _not_ leaving," Caroline said firmly, not allowing any room for argument.

"Why not?" Josie argued anyway. "It's not like he even cares—"

"This is _not_ _helping_!" MG raised his voice for the first time since most of them had known him.

He turned on Josie, "This isn't a Clarke versus Josie thing! This is Lizzie's in trouble and we _all_ need to figure out how to help her. And if you think Clarke doesn't care about Lizzie, you haven't been paying attention.

"There are _six_ people awake and alert in this room," MG said. "Stop arguing and figure out a way to _HELP HER_!"

"Well, I know one way to determine if it's natural or not," Caroline said, going to the head of the bed.

They all waited as she put her hands on either side of Lizzie's head, diving into her daughter's mind.

Moments later she pulled back, gasping, her eyes flooded with tears.

"She's… it's… a mess," she said. "Nothing made sense. There's nothing natural about that. It's like her mind is completely fragmented. Shattered," she finished on a sob.

"It's the black magic growing and doing this," Hope said. "So, couldn't we try a spell to purge it? Force the darkness out? Wouldn't that put everything back in place?" If Lizzie had accepted the possibility before now, she could have tried this before… but, as MG said, Lizzie was scared.

"We can try," Josie agreed. Her mother's reaction frightened her. Was Lizzie really that bad? Why didn't _she_ feel it? "I mean, _you_ can try." She almost forgot that she was hiding her powers from everyone still.

Hope exchanged places with Caroline.

After Josie's brush with black magic, Hope made sure she had this spell ready if she ever needed it again. She only hoped it worked.

She focused on the spell, repeating the words.

" _Magicae movemur. Recedemus._ "

"Try again?" she said to Caroline when she finished.

They switched places again.

Caroline pulled back, shaking her head in defeat.

"It didn't work."

Clarke couldn't stop himself, he had to walk. He started pacing around the small room, made even smaller by so many people.

"There's got to be something we're missing," he said to himself but loud enough that everyone heard. "Purging it, having something to feed on it—"

"No hexes, remember?" Hope said softly.

He nodded. He went back to listing possibilities, "With me, the earth magic overcame it—"

"But it didn't," Hope said. "The black magic died with your father. Your father was consumed by it, so when he died, it did."

"She's _not_ dying!" he snapped. He didn't mean to snap at Hope but all the things he was feeling were new to him and he didn't know _what_ they were or how to process any of it.

All he knew was he refused to let Lizzie die.

"Most definitely not," Caroline said, approaching and reaching out to touch his arm reassuringly. "We're in a school for magic, with all kinds of connections to magic. There is always a way. No matter how long it takes, we'll find it."

"We also have an entire secret government organization that knows millions of supernatural secrets researching a way to save her too," Hope said with a small smile, noting the way Caroline was quick to comfort Ryan. Caroline was struggling to remain strong, but she saw the way Ryan was struggling too.

"So, what do we do for now?" Josie interrupted, feeling disgusted when her mother approached him. Everyone else in the room was worried about Lizzie but her mother was soothing _Clarke_? "We can't just leave her like this until we find something."

Silence reigned throughout the room as everyone thought.

"You said her mind was shattered," Clarke spoke up. "Injured. Hope, can you try to heal her?"

"Heal her?" Alaric asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've only tried that on injured animals," Hope reminded Ryan. "I've never tried it on a human."

"No time like the present?"

"It's not really an injury though," Hope said.

"Just try?" Clarke said

Nodding because she knew that she too would try anything, she switched places with Caroline again.

"Here goes," she said, hovering her hands over Lizzie's head. She didn't say anything this time, just focused her magic on healing.

When she stepped back, she wasn't sure if she really did anything.

"Did it work?" Josie asked.

"I don't know?" Hope said, looking at Caroline.

Caroline stepped over and dived inside of her mind again.

"No," she breathed out. "It's still the same."

"What about vampire blood—" Clarke started.

" _Absolutely not!_ " Caroline shut _that_ entire idea down.

"If it could heal her—" he tried.

"Trust me," Caroline said tight-lipped. "Vampire blood is _not_ a miracle cure-for-all. It doesn't heal lots of things. Like cancer or tumors and… just _no_!"

"We won't do that," Alaric was quick to reassure her, knowing she was thinking of her mother.

"Besides," MG said. "She had vampire blood last week. If it healed her mind, it would've done it then."

"Why did she have vampire blood?" Alaric asked.

"Her, uh," MG looked around. "Spell kind of… exploded? She let me heal her burn."

"Hope's blood," Clarke spoke up.

"What?" Hope looked at him.

"Try giving her _your_ blood," Clarke said. He looked at the others to explain. "She's not a vampire yet, but her blood has the properties. And it's powerful. It cures vampires from werewolf bites and turns wolves to hybrids." He knew everyone in the room already knew that.

"We're not giving her _any_ blood without her permission," Alaric said, remembering how scared she was in the prison world. She hadn't wanted to die. She didn't want to be a vampire. And he didn't want that for her either.

"I said _no_!" Caroline would not be budged on this, even if Alaric had already shut it down. "No vampire blood, no Hope's blood! When my mother was sick, when she was _dying_ , we tried that. _I_ tried it. I gave her my blood because I thought it would heal her. But it didn't! It actually sped up the cancer! I would've lost her _that_ day if we hadn't…"

She stopped, trailing off.

"If you hadn't what?" Clarke asked.

"They got Kai to siphon the magic from her blood stream," Alaric said, dropping his arms in realization.

"We could siphon it out of her," Hope said, standing up straight.

"I know a siphon," Caroline said, lost in thought. "I'm not sure she'll _talk_ to me after the last time I saw her though…"

"Valerie?" Alaric guessed.

"She was the first person I searched for to help with the merge," she said. "She didn't know about Stefan…she wasn't happy to see me at _all_."

"Triad used one before," Clarke said. "No telling if he's still where he was. Or if he'll help again."

"Aunt Freya might know one," Hope spoke up. "I know Mom had to find one to siphon Aunt Rebekah's hex when I was a child."

"Wait," Alaric looked around. "I thought siphons were only born into the Gemini coven." All Gemini were dead now, with the exception of the twins. Valerie, born a Gemini, was only alive because she was a heretic—a siphon turned into a vampire.

"Guess you were wrong," Clarke shrugged.

"Um, _hello_!" Josie raised her hand though her mind was reeling a little at learning siphons weren't as rare as she was told by her father. "Siphon, standing right here. I'll go get my powers and take care of this right now?"

"I don't think it's possible to have a worse idea," Clarke said.

"Good thing I don't need _your_ permission," she said.

"We're trying to save _her_ ," Clarke said. "They don't have time to save you too." He didn't include himself in that second part on purpose.

"She's _my_ sister," Josie said harshly. "If she needs a siphon to save her, I'll do it!"

"He's right, honey," Caroline said gently. "We don't know what's going on, but you can't be anywhere near black magic. Not after last time."

"If I just take the powers back long enough to siphon it out of her, I'll put them away again right after," Josie said. "I know I can do this."

"And where would you put it?" Clarke said. "Because I recall having to find you a place myself last time and I'm fresh out."

"I'll transfer it," she said, glaring at him for bringing that up. "Lizzie and I did that before, right, Mom?" She looked at her. "For Hope's dad?"

Caroline shook her head because it was the truth but it didn't change anything. Lizzie was in trouble, and Ryan was right. They couldn't risk putting Josie in danger too.

"Transfer it to what?" Hope asked.

"I don't care! Wherever those other siphons would put it!" Josie exclaimed. "I can do this. I can do this for Lizzie."

"Okay," Alaric said.

"What?!" nearly everyone in the room looked at him in disbelief.

Alaric nodded, giving everyone a firm look, telling them not to argue.

"Let's go get your powers," he said to Josie. "Then we'll do this."

"Okay!" she said, smiling for the first time.

"You all… figure out where to put it," Alaric said as he followed Josie out of the room.

"Yeah, maybe we'll find _another_ mora miserium," Clarke called back, disgusted. "Is he out of his mind?"

"I… think he's up to something," Hope murmured. She knew Doctor Saltzman. He wasn't stupid. Allowing Josie anywhere near black magic would be a huge mistake and he knew it.

"I agree," Caroline said. "Wait and see."

"I'll call Aunt Freya while we wait," Hope said, pulling her phone out and walking to the side.

Josie rushed into her room and went to the piggy bank. She broke it when Malivore attacked the school, but she used magic to put it back together before she put her powers away again once Malivore was defeated. She pulled the plug from the bottom and started shaking the coins out. She put on the show for her father, knowing he was right behind her.

She combed through the coins and pretended she was searching for the right one.

"Got it!" she said, turning back to him, holding it up in victory.

"You're sure that's it?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Good," he said before he snatched it out of her hand and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Wait," she said, staring at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Putting your powers away until we get back with a siphon," he said.

"But… Dad? I thought you agreed I could do this?" she sputtered in disbelief.

"Let my daughter with a predilection toward black magic get involved with it again?" Alaric said as if the answer was obvious. "You'll get this back when we get back."

"But, Dad!"

"I'm sorry, Josette," he said, shaking his head. "I can't let you. And I don't trust you to listen to us when we say not to interfere."

He went to leave and she followed after him, "What do you mean, you don't trust me?"

"I know you've been lying," he said as he walked down the steps with her trailing behind. "You lied to your mother's face, and I bet you lied to mine last weekend."

"I didn't—"

"Did you, or did you not have anything to do with the Clarke clone army last week?"

"No! I was right there with you!" she argued. "How could I help send anybody anywhere?"

"I didn't say they went anywhere," he said. "And you knowing what I'm referring to just confirms you were involved somehow. Wendy's powers must be getting stronger. Who did she use for that spell? Do you know where Wendy is? Did you lie about that too?"

"No," she said, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat. "I don't know."

He reached the door to the infirmary and stopped long enough to look at her in disappointment.

"I don't believe you," he said. "Luckily for you, there are more important things going on right now, but when we get back we're going to have a serious talk about your actions."

She followed him into the room, not knowing what to say. Her mind was racing and her stomach hurt. Everything was somehow blowing up in her face. Her father was the one who always took her side when it came to Clarke, but now he was second guessing her and doing what _Clarke_ said. Clarke told him she was involved last week and Dad believed him. Clarke thought letting her siphon the magic out of Lizzie was a bad idea, and Dad took her powers away.

"Alright," Alaric said to everyone. "It's settled. Josie will _not_ be siphoning anyone. Her powers are safe with me."

Caroline looked at Josie who appeared on the verge of tears and incredibly frustrated. She knew what happened.

"It's for the best," Caroline said, reaching for her daughter and putting an arm around her. "You'll get them back."

Hope ended her call, "Aunt Freya doesn't know who mom used."

"Okay," Alaric said. "I'm going with Caroline to search for Valerie. She may not talk to her, but she'll talk to me."

" _If_ she's still where I last saw her," Caroline said, but she agreed.

"I'll head to Columbia," Clarke said, already pulling out his phone to message his assistant to make the travel plans. "Any luck, the contact is still there and willing to listen." He would use a private jet and government resources this time. He would fudge the fact that Lizzie's mental break caused 'suspicious tremors' that civilians noticed and reported—which they hadn't, but the government didn't need to know that. As far as the government was concerned, the tremors were being investigated and Lizzie's name wouldn't be mentioned at all.

"I'm going with you," Hope said to Clarke. "In case your guy needs more persuasion."

"Between us, hopefully we can get one of them to come back with us," Alaric said. "MG and Josie." Alaric looked at both of them. "You two take turns keeping an eye on Lizzie."

"You actually trust me for that?" Josie said sarcastically.

Alaric gave her a warning look but continued, "I'm leaving Dorian in charge. Report to him if there's any change."

"Where we're going there isn't good phone service," Caroline said. "We'll check in whenever we can."

"Oh man, the festival," MG looked up. "Who do we let know she can't do it?"

"I've made arrangements," Clarke said. "It's being taken care of."

"Arrangements?" MG asked.

"His people are handling it," Hope said. "Though there _may_ be a question if no one actually sees her?"

"About that," Clarke said to MG, "come with me."

As they left the room, Caroline tightened her grip around Josie, "We're going to be gone a couple days at most. Hope and Ryan may be back before us. I know you're worried, but everything will be fine."

"Are you guys _really_ leaving her like this for that long?" Josie asked. "We could help her _right now_ , if you'd just let me." She knew they would set up a saline drip to keep her hydrated and comfortable, but still.

"Josie," Alaric said. "We can't take that chance. Deep down I think you know that."

And deep down maybe she _did_ but that didn't change anything. Lizzie still needed help and she needed help _now_ , not when another siphon was tracked down.

"As to the other thing," Alaric said. "I _do_ trust you to keep an eye on Lizzie. I know you would never do anything to hurt her."

"Thanks?" she said with a bit of attitude. Of course, she would never hurt Lizzie. She loved her sister and would do anything for her—including figuring out a way to get the darkness out of her immediately.

Clarke and MG returned to the room, and MG went straight back to Lizzie's bedside. No one noticed the ring the vampire now sported on his finger.

"You guys better get moving," MG said to everyone. "Josie, I'll take first shift. I've got to make an appearance at the festival later."

"We'll be back before you know it," Alaric said.

* * *

Since MG was on Lizzie duty, Josie decided now would be the perfect time to work on her own plan. She would talk everything over with Jade too.

She missed having her girlfriend by her side, and she really hoped she was getting better. Thus far with everything going on no one—meaning her parents—had noticed Jade was spending time in the prison beneath the school instead of her own room. She knew that would change when next week started if Jade didn't show up for her classes.

As she walked toward the basement access, her mind ran over everything that just transpired.

 _She_ would be the one to save Lizzie. They didn't need Clarke or any other siphon to help.

She just needed a place to transfer the dark magic. Taking it into herself was _not_ an option. She _did_ know that could turn out badly. She agreed with everyone there. She just also believed she could transfer it successfully. It was too bad she couldn't just transfer it to someone else instead of herself…

… Someone like Wendy, maybe? Someone who wouldn't mind having even more power so she could blast her way out of town and disappear forever, no more looking over her shoulder?

She could transfer everything to Wendy!

But, how could she even get Wendy out of her safe house without Triad causing trouble?

" _His people are handling it."_

Not twenty minutes ago Hope said that. 'His' meaning Clarke's people. And if Clarke's people were handling the festival, did that mean there were less people guarding Wendy?

"Good morning, beautiful," Jade said, sitting up on her cot as Josie appeared before her cell. "A little late this morning. Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Lizzie's in trouble," Josie explained. "The darkness we were worried about by dissolving the link between the twin bond and the seal so we didn't have to merge? It caused a psychotic break. She's being sedated. Everyone's running off trying to find help for her. Trying to find a _siphon_ for her."

"But you're a siphon?"

"That's what I said," Josie huffed. "But it's okay, because I've got a plan. They didn't want me to do it because they thought it would be too much for me. But I don't need to take the magic into myself. I just need a place to transfer it. I want to transfer it to Wendy. I just have to get her here to do it. It'll make her strong enough to get out of town on her own and protect herself until the magic wears off."

"But… what if the magic is too much for her?" Jade asked, frowning. The entire plan worried her, she just didn't know why. In theory it didn't sound _bad_ but...

"I'll only give her what she can handle," Josie said. "She'll tell me when it's too much. It'll give Lizzie _some_ relief at least. Maybe she won't have to remain sedated the entire time."

"What about you though?" Jade asked. "Its dark magic, Jos… and maybe they're right. Maybe you shouldn't be involved in this?"

"I'm just transferring it from one person to another," Josie reiterated her earlier words. "I've done it before with Lizzie. I don't take the magic into myself. Just _transfer_ it, I swear."

"And you're _sure_ you're okay to do this?" Jade asked.

" _Yes_ ," Josie insisted.

"Okay… _if_ you manage to get Wendy away from the safe house and bring her here," Jade said because she knew that was a big 'if', "Come and get me. I want to be there for the spell." If she were there, she could make sure nothing went wrong.

And with her mind having something to focus on other than blood, she should be able to complete that one task then get back to her cell immediately afterward.

* * *

Hope was worried about Ryan.

When he was in action mode, he got everything done. He drove them straight to the airfield and they were on a private jet within the hour. They hadn't stopped for anything besides her passport, not even to pack. He said they could pick up what they needed on the way. Being on the run with him before, she knew that to be true. He was used to this.

But now that they were in flight, she could feel the same anxious energy from earlier returning to him and hitting her hard.

Now that she had time to think, she realized what was happening with him.

Ryan had never cared about anyone other than himself for _years._

Last October, he started learning how to care about others. He learned how to love her. He loved her so much that he refused to lose her, even willing to sacrifice himself to protect her.

Unlike Hope, he didn't know what that kind of loss felt like.

He didn't know what it was like to lose someone he cared about.

And, much like in October, he was learning a whole new set of emotions he never felt before: fear for another, panic that he wouldn't succeed, and confusion about it all.

She teased him about Lizzie being like a sister to him because of his mother's words, but she didn't think he realized he actually started to _see_ Lizzie that way. He wouldn't know because he _didn't_ know. He still had so much to learn.

Caroline must have picked up on that earlier too. The twins' mother had accepted Ryan much the same way her Aunt Freya had. She didn't hold any of his actions against him. She was grateful for his help with the girls, and she always had a smile and kind word for him. Caroline comforted Ryan earlier much the way a mother would. She knew Ryan was upset about Lizzie and barely keeping himself contained.

She wondered if Doctor Saltzman had picked up on it too since he didn't try to kick him out, not even with Josie practically demanding it.

 _That_ was a whole other story entirely. The hostility Josie had toward Ryan wouldn't have been unexpected months ago, but she thought Josie got past it all. Since they defeated Malivore, Josie returned to the way she was before. They were all friends again. Josie didn't say much to Ryan, but she didn't speak openly against him either. Was that all an act? But _why_ didn't Josie say anything to her? She knew Ryan had manipulated Josie and used her. She would understand if Josie couldn't forgive him. But why pretend that she had?

The other question though, was all of that why Josie decided to help Wendy? Hope assumed Josie really _did_ want to help the witch, mostly because Wendy was best friends with Jade, but if Josie could hide her animosity toward Ryan what else was she hiding? How far would she take this hatred? Had Hope really been that blind to everything going on with Josie?

In a word, _yes_.

Hope was so in love, she hadn't paid much attention to Josie if she really thought about it. Her entire life basically revolved around Ryan now. Besides school, she spent all of her time with him. She planned her future around him. He was everything to her.

When she wasn't focused on Ryan, she was usually with Lizzie. Lizzie was the best friend she never knew she needed. She only wished they became friends much sooner. She really could've used her through the years. Hope felt like she was making up for lost time with her. She felt comfortable talking to Lizzie about her relationship with Ryan. And Lizzie always spoke the truth, no matter how much it hurt.

Somehow, between Ryan and Lizzie, Hope had lost sight of everyone else. She still cared about all of her friends, still thought of them as friends, but she wasn't nearly as close with any of them…including Josie. She needed to do something about that when this was over.

Feeling Ryan start his incessant foot tapping again, she decided it was time to take his mind off of all his fears.

"What did you talk to MG about?" she asked.

"You were right," he said. "She needs to put in an appearance at the festival."

"You gave him your ring," she realized.

" _Loaned_ it to him," he corrected her.

"I'm surprised you trusted him with it," she said.

He shrugged, "We have the same goal. And what's he going to do? Disappear with it?"

"Could this actually be the start of that bromance I mentioned before?" she tried to tease to lighten the mood.

"That's a bit of a reach," he said. "Have all the friends you want. I told you, I only need you."

"And Lizzie," she said.

He shrugged again but didn't reply.

In fact, he closed off and started tapping his foot again.

She regretted bringing her up. She would just have to distract him again.

"The siphon we're searching for, what can you tell me about him?" she asked. She figured she should know everything if she was going to convince this guy to come back with them.

He scrolled through his tablet, then held it out to her, "Here's the old mission file. Everything you need to know."

 _Right_ , she would've been amused if she wasn't trying so hard to help him.

"You know what you need?" she said.

"Hmm?" he started drumming his fingers on his chair's arm.

"A nap," she said. "We've got a long flight."

"I don't need a nap," he said with a look.

"No, but you need to talk to your mother," she said.

"Why, so she can give me more vague answers?" he asked.

"Just try," she suggested. "She may surprise you."

"Maybe," he said, tilting his head back.

She reached out and gripped his hand tightly.

The tightening of his hand around hers told her that he needed it.

She did too.

* * *

"Did we make a mistake, Ric?" Caroline said softly, staring at the ceiling of the plane. "Maybe we shouldn't have let the witches undo the spell."

"We can't change anything now," Alaric said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. It was a bit cramped for his frame. "And if they didn't undo it, one of them _would_ eventually die."

"I know," Caroline said morosely. "I just can't believe all of this. The universe gave us the gift of those girls. Was it _really_ just so one could kill the other in the merge? For what purpose!? The coven isn't even alive anymore."

"To protect the world," he reminded her.

"But the world _is_ protected now," Caroline said. "Ryan made sure of it… But Josie and Lizzie, they aren't protected. We knew the rules before but now everything has changed. We don't know anything. I'm _scared_ , Ric."

"I am too," he said, knowing there wasn't anything he could say to alleviate his or her fears. He could only pray that Valerie—the only former Gemini member alive—could shed some light.

If not… his girls really may be doomed.

* * *

**Check windows. How many guards?**

Wendy looked at her phone and rolled her eyes. Her frustration was at an all-time-high. She had been stuck in this house for days, with no option but to wait. She craved her freedom so much she could taste it.

She felt like she was never getting out of here. Jade was out of commission, and her only other hope was grounded.

She snickered.

**Same as yesterday. Same as everyday.**

**Did you check?**

**What's the point?**

**CHECK**.

Wendy cloaked herself then slowly crawled out of bed. She went to the back of the house first since it was closer to the guest room. She had to peak _very_ cautiously through the blinds to observe. If any of those bozos saw her through their nifty crystals, it would be enough to give the local sheriff's department probable cause to enter the house. As long as they didn't see her, she was good.

 _Huh_. There actually _were_ less people on the ground. Still two out back, but it looked like only one of them was Triad. The other was from the sheriff's department.

Practically running to the front of the house, she glanced through the blinds in Garcia's room. Two again. One Triad, one not.

Deciding to check the windows on the sides of the house that she didn't usually check anymore, she didn't see anyone there at all.

**2 Triad. 2 Local. Is it a trick?**

**No. Got a plan. How bout a magical pick-me-up b4 u leave town too?**

**TELL ME**

Josie called, explained her entire plan, and then went to her room.

Grabbing a hoodie out of her closet, she pulled it on and tugged the hood up, pulling the drawstring closed enough to cover her face though she could still see.

Going to the center of the room, she spaced out her supplies, drew a sacred circle, and then struck a match to light a candle as she cast her spell.

"You think they'll fall for this?" Wendy asked when Josie appeared in front of her in Garcia's living room.

"We're nearly the same height," Josie shrugged. "Why wouldn't they?"

"Triad seems smarter than that," Wendy said.

"You're talking about the same people who thought my mother with an umbrella was you," Josie smirked. "Don't worry. Just open the door for me. Wait 'til the coast is clear, then make a run for it. I'll pick you up as soon as I end the spell. Do you have everything?"

Wendy put up her own hood and lifted her duffel bag over head so the strap stretched across her chest securely.

"Ready," she nodded before cloaking herself.

Josie went to stand by the front door. She had never actually attempted a full out run during an astral projection, but she figured it would work long enough to get the job done.

"Open the door," Josie said, reaching out like she was 'pretending' to open the door while Wendy stood behind it.

Wendy pulled it open and Josie stepped out onto the porch. She stayed still long enough to make sure she was actually seen, and then she took off down the few steps, running to the right. She didn't look back as she ran but the footsteps she heard baring down on her told her they were following her.

Without warning, she was suddenly back in her room. The projection must not have liked her moving so far past her original projected target.

Hopefully Wendy was able to get away before she disappeared. Or maybe they thought she used some other kind of spell and was still searching the area.

She blew out the candle, stood up, grabbed her phone, and then looked at Lizzie's side of the room for the car keys.

 _Wait_. She nearly smacked herself. Lizzie drove into town for the festival. Since Hope and Clarke brought her home, the car was still in town.

Looked like she needed to 'borrow' Mom's car to get Wendy—Dad probably took his to the airport.

Luckily, Dad kept her spare keys in his desk.

* * *

Clarke found himself staring at a dark sky full of stars once more.

"Third times the charm," he said.

Yes, he used Hope's advice and took a nap.

"Ryan."

"Mother," he said, looking away from the sky. "If you were ever going to tell me how to help her, now would be the time for nothing cryptic or vague."

"Black magic has a mind of its own," she said still staring at the sky.

"Tell me something I don't know," he said.

"The Gemini," she said, "They used black magic to harness the power of the cosmos for a spell unlike any other. And it backfired."

"As black magic does," he agreed.

"They angered the cosmos," she said.

"The night sky," he realized, looking up. "That was some kind of clue."

"Yes."

"You can tell me that now?" he asked. "Why not before?"

"Never anger the cosmos, son," she said. "The consequences are devastating."

"Right," he sighed. "You couldn't tell me before because _you_ didn't want to anger the cosmos. But you can tell me _now_ for some reason."

He felt a sinking inside, a kind of realization that he hated feeling.

"It's because it's too late, isn't it?" he said.

"It's going to be," she said.

"What does that even _mean_?" he asked. Should they go back to the school? "Are we going to be able to save her or not?"

"I'm not your or—"

" _Not my oracle!_ " he exclaimed in frustration. "I know! I just need to know what's going to happen."

"I cannot tell you what is not up to me," she said.

"And what, is it up to the cosmos?!" he said sarcastically.

"No, my son," she said. "It's up to you. It's up to all of you."

"If it were up to me, she would survive," he said. He felt so aggravated and powerless tears sprang to his eyes.

"Then make sure she survives," she said.

He looked away, angrily brushing at his eyes. Since when did he cry in his dreams?

Since when did he cry over Lizzie Saltzman?

"Why do I feel this way?" he muttered mostly to himself but knew she would hear him.

"She is part of our family," she said with a gentle smile. "She is something you've always had but never knew what it meant to have. Now, you are learning."

"I don't want to feel any of this if she's not going to survive," he said.

"Then make sure she does."

Clarke woke up wishing he never bothered sleeping in the first place.

_The cosmos? Really?!_

"What'd she say?" Hope asked, clenching his hand tightly still.

She hadn't let go even while he slept. He was grateful for it. He never knew how important touch and connection was until he knew her, until he began to learn what it truly meant to _be_ human. Holding her hand reminded him that he loved most of it… but he didn't love it all.

He knew all about Hope's loss. He felt her emotions when he was stuck in her subconscious. Her mother and father's deaths destroyed her. That kind of loss was why it took her so long to open up to anyone again in the first place.

Is that what was happening to him? He allowed himself to open up to Lizzie? When that Jack guy nearly hurt her, he was ready to punish or kill him for daring to hurt a member of his family. His mother was right. Lizzie _was_ family to him.

Hope was right too.

Lizzie _was_ a sister to him.

And cosmos be damned, he wasn't going to let anyone or any _thing_ take his sister away from him.

"That we might be fighting something bigger than we realized," he said.

"What?"

"What do you know about astrology?"

* * *

Josie walked into the infirmary, amazed that only a couple hours had passed since everything had been set into motion.

The midday sun was shining brightly through the window, giving Lizzie some much needed sunshine when stuck in such a dreary place.

But not for long!

"Hey," MG said, sitting in the chair next to the bed, holding Lizzie's hand.

It was pretty much the same position she left him in.

"Hey, MG. I came to take a turn," she said. "You need lunch, and probably need to talk to your teachers."

"Doctor Saltzman will talk to them," he said. "I'll be able to make up my exams. But you're right; I need to head to the festival. I'll be back in a few hours?"

"Take your time," Josie said with a reassuring smile. "I've got all day."

"Thanks," he nodded, then let go of Lizzie's hand slowly. He clearly didn't want to leave her.

Josie's heart melted at the care he had for her sister. She wished Lizzie would one day see him in a different light. No other guy had ever loved Lizzie the way he did.

"Everything will be fine, MG," Josie said more confidently than she would have an hour ago. But now that she had someone to transfer the power to, and they were actually _here_ , she knew everything really _would_ be fine.

MG nodded, thanking her for the reassurance even though he wasn't sure if he could really believe it, and then he left. Spending the afternoon pretending to be Lizzie was going to be an awkward situation for him, but he just needed to get it over with so he could get back to Lizzie. Then he would have to do it all over again tomorrow. _Sigh_.

"He's gone," Wendy said, shedding the cloaking spell on her and Jade.

Jade shut the door.

"Okay," Jade said, going to rest her hands on Josie's shoulders. "Remember, if you feel _anything_ going wrong, you _have_ to stop, Jos."

"I will," Josie nodded, stepping closer to hug her. "I promise."

"So, how are we going to do this?" Wendy asked. She was nearly free! She probably should have headed straight out of town but she couldn't resist gaining more power before she did.

"I'm going to hold her hand and your hand," Josie said, pulling away from Jade and walking up next to the bed. "Then I'll do the spell and transfer it."

"Why do you have to hold hands?" Jade asked, eyes narrowing. "It's a transfer of power. You said you _aren't_ siphoning."

"I'm _not_ going to siphon into myself," Josie said. "It's a spell only a siphon can do. Yes, the magic will technically be 'siphoned' but it'll be redirected to Wendy without me absorbing it. Contact will help everything move along from where it's coming from to where it's going. Last time I did this spell, I did it _with_ Lizzie. I'm just using her as a magical conduit this time."

"Are you _sure_?" Jade asked. She had _such_ a bad feeling about this, but she knew there was no way she would get them to stop.

"She's sure," Wendy said, taking a step closer to Josie. "Let's just get it over with. The sooner it's done, the sooner I can get out of here."

Jade nodded.

Josie took Lizzie's hand.

"It's gonna be okay, Lizzie," she said. "In a few minutes, you'll feel so much better." She would still be knocked out from the sedative, but her mind should begin to heal.

She took Wendy's hand and began the spell.

" _Magia tllo de terras. Solvo."_

Long moments passed as Jade watched, wondering what was happening. Josie had gone silent with her eyes closed. Her hand on her sister's glowed red.

Jade looked at Wendy, but Wendy was looking at their combined hands with a little frown.

"What's happening?" Jade whispered to Wendy.

"Nothing yet?" Wendy whispered back. "I don't feel any— _THING_! Whoa! Whoa!"

She tried to wrench her hand out of Josie's grip, but she couldn't break free.

"Stop! Josie, stop!" Wendy cried out as the red glow shone between Josie and Wendy's hands too. "Jade! Make her stop! She's siphoning _me_!"

 _Damn it_!

Jade rushed over and tried to separate their hands.

"Josie! Let go!" Jade cried out, wrenching with all her might. _Why wasn't this working!?_ "Josie! Josie!"

Josie wasn't listening at all. Something went wrong. Something inside of her sensed the dark magic being withdrawn and redirected. Something that made her subconsciously desire all the magic for _herself_.

Instead of transferring it, she began to absorb it. As time went on, she wanted _more_. Thus, she began siphoning from the other source connected to her.

 _No way_ , Jade thought. There was _no way_ the strength of Josie's magic was more powerful than the full strength of a vampire!

Wendy was turning white and struggling.

Jade had to do something! She wrapped her arms around Josie's waist and _pulled_ as hard as she could.

Josie's hands _finally_ dislodged from Lizzie's and Wendy's.

Jade had little time for relief because Josie's hands sought out another source of power to siphon from.

Josie grabbed _Jade's_ hands that were wrapped around her middle.

"Let go!" Jade cried out when she realized Josie was siphoning from _her_ now. "Josie, stop it!"

She tried to pull away. The siphoning and loss of power was slowing her down.

Wendy could barely stand after Josie drained her, but she still tried to get up to help Jade.

But no one could help Jade.

Especially not when Josie, who was holding Jade's hands, siphoned the one thing she _really_ shouldn't have.

Jade's daylight ring.

The burning sensation caught Jade unexpectedly.

_What—?_

Jade started screaming as the ring lost its power and the sunlight streaming through the window hit her all at once.

"Josie, _no_!" Wendy screamed at her.

The warmth from the fire finally penetrated Josie's senses as her back overheated.

Josie sprang away from the heat and turned around, realizing with horrifying clarity what happened as the screaming finally stopped.

 _No_!

Jade… she wasn't Jade anymore.

She was just gone.

She was dead.

And Josie had killed her.

 _No_!

Josie shrank back in horror, holding her hand over her mouth.

"What did you do?! What did you do?!" Wendy cried out in disbelief. Her best friend was _dead_.

Josie choked on her own tears, fumbling for words, gripping her stomach tightly now, "I—I—I didn't mean to."

"It doesn't matter what you _meant_ to do!" Wendy screamed. "You _killed_ her!"

Josie moved her hands up to cover her ears as a silent internal scream rang throughout her mind.

"You killed her!"

With every word, Josie was consumed by more and more horror, terror, and panic.

_No, no, this wasn't supposed to happen! How could this have happened!?_

"You killed her! You killed her!"

Wendy was in shock and couldn't seem to get past that part as she repeated it over and over again!.

"No, stop it!" Josie cried out at Wendy, clenching her hands harder against her ears. "No!"

"You killed her! Oh my God, you killed her! You killed Jade!"

The more Josie's mind raced and the more her panic consumed her, she felt this deep dark abyss opening inside of her that needed to escape from the truth of what she had done.

She couldn't take Wendy's words.

And Wendy just wouldn't _shut up_.

Subconsciously, without thinking, she lashed out.

" _Incendia_."

As Wendy's own screams of pain filled the small room, Josie backed up and sat stiffly on the edge of Lizzie's bed, sitting perfectly still, feeling completely numb, until the fire and screams stopped again.

She looked at Lizzie, lying sedated, completely oblivious to her surroundings.

She hadn't gotten all of the dark magic out of Lizzie, but she knew she got enough.

Her sister would be okay.

"You'll be okay," she finally said, patting Lizzie's leg as she spoke her words.

"You'll be okay. You'll be okay. You'll be okay," she repeated over and over again.

She wasn't sure if she was saying it to Lizzie or to herself.

* * *

It was no use. The siphon wasn't there.

"Everyone I talked to said he moved a year ago," Hope said, meeting up with Ryan. "And there were no clues to keep tracking him."

"Much of the same for me," Clarke said, feeling frustrated once more. "Though I have someone attempting to trace his financial records. If they turn up anything, we'll follow the lead."

"So, to the hotel for now?" she asked. She was distracted by the buzzing of her phone.

"It's Dorian," she said. She glanced at Ryan in alarm before she answered.

"Dorian?"

Clarke watched her as she listened. He grew concerned when she paled. Her fingers were shaking by the time she ended the call, only giving Dorian a few short replies.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"We have to go back now," she said, her face stone serious.

"We can't fly back 'til morning," he said. As much as he wanted a private jet to be available at all times, international private flights didn't always work that way.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Lizzie's okay. Much better even," she said. "It's Josie. Dorian can't reach Doctor Saltzman and Caroline. It's bad, Ryan. So bad."

"Is she alive?" he asked, though he was honestly mostly just relieved to hear nothing was wrong with Lizzie.

"Yes," she said, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "But I have a feeling she wishes she wasn't."

* * *

Josie walked in a daze through the school corridors.

Everyone gave her a sympathetic look as she passed.

That's what they gave you—sympathy—when your girlfriend was killed by her best friend right in front of you.

At least, that's what Josie told Dorian and Emma when they showed up to Lizzie's infirmary room following the screams and the burning stench.

She told them she killed Wendy while trying to defend Jade.

She had to tell them she had her powers back, as well as some of her plan—she didn't see a way around that—but she told them the magic was too much for Wendy causing her to lash out at Jade.

She told them she couldn't save Jade, but she was able to stop Wendy.

She lied.

She was still numb.

Dorian did everything he could to help her before leading her to Emma's office.

There, Emma consoled her. She knew it was too soon for Josie to talk about how she was feeling; that Josie wasn't feeling much of anything at the moment. She knew Josie was still in shock and needed time.

She asked Josie if she could call someone to stay with her for the rest of the day and evening, or if she wanted Emma to stay with her. There was no one. Lizzie was passed out, her parents were gone, and Hope was gone. She didn't want to be around Emma, but she didn't have anyone else.

In some ways, she was grateful for that. With no one around, she would be able to keep her secret that much longer. Her natural instinct was to hide the truth. She didn't know how long she could hide something this big though.

It was easier that she felt numb. If she couldn't feel anything, she could keep up the façade.

She spent hours sitting in Emma's office in silence.

Dorian took care of the bodies, moved Lizzie's bed to a different room, cleaned up the old room, and was staying by Lizzie's bed side until MG got back.

Unaware of the passage of time, she eventually grew restless. She didn't want to be in that office anymore. She had to go somewhere else.

Gossip always spread like wildfire at the Salvatore School, so Jade and Wendy's deaths had clearly made the rounds by the time she left the office.

Surprised at the darkness coming through the windows, she realized she was there much longer than she thought.

As students streamed through the front doors, she realized day one of the festival was over. Everyone was returning to the news.

Turning sharply on her heel, she hurried to the cafeteria. Emma brought her dinner, but she only picked at it. She wasn't hungry now either, but she needed to go somewhere to escape the tide.

Feeling nothing was good. She _wanted_ to keep feeling nothing.

But life wasn't that nice to her right now.

With the students returning, her numbness was ebbing and her thoughts began returning as well. Wendy's words vibrated through her mind.

" _You killed her! You killed her!"_

Slamming a fridge door shut, water bottle clenched tightly in her hand, she tried to push all the guilt away.

She didn't mean to kill Jade. She was trying to help Lizzie _and_ Wendy. This was all because of the dark magic. The dark magic took over and did it all!

Walking out of the kitchens, she decided to return to her room but as she approached the main stairway, Ethan came to her.

His face was covered in that sympathy she wished never to see again.

She stopped.

"I just heard," he said. "I'm so sorry."

She nodded. She hadn't spoken a word to anyone since Dorian and Emma. She couldn't bring herself to now.

"Do you need anything?" he asked. "To talk or just sit? I know it's hard. When I found out about Dennis…I just mean to say… I know what you're going through, and I'm here."

Ethan. The one boy who wanted to be her friend—or more—since he first met her. The one boy she always steered clear from because she could never bring herself to tell him the truth.

That she used black magic to destroy his future in football.

It seemed almost pointless now since he triggered his curse and discovered he was a werewolf.

But it didn't change what she did.

One more thing that occurred because of the cursed darkness that flooded her.

Of course, _that_ particular spell came from a certain someone who had become the bane of her existence. The flash of rage she felt for a brief moment towards Clarke was the best thing she had felt in hours.

"Josie?" Ethan asked softly, concern evident on his face.

"I want to be alone," she finally forced the words past her lips. Pushing him away was her only option because as soon as the rage left, the guilt made its way back. His being another source of guilt just made everything worse.

"I understand," he nodded. "If you change your mind…"

"Thanks," she managed to say.

She left, heading in the completely opposite direction from the stairs. She wanted to go to her room, but Ethan was ascending the stairs and she wanted to get away from him.

Wondering into the game room, she swallowed when she saw Wade sitting quietly off to the side. Usually he was working on some kind of project or reading through a comic while watching the others play. Mostly while watching Jade play.

Not today though. Today he sat quietly, staring ahead, ignoring the other students.

Josie decided to take her guilt and turn it into something good. She couldn't let Ethan be there for her, but maybe she could be there for Wade. He looked like he could really use a friend right now.

"Wade," she said, settling into the seat next to him.

"Hi, Josie," he said sadly.

"Do you know?" she asked.

He nodded, looking down. "I heard."

"If you need anything, I'm here."

He shook his head.

"She was the only person here who really understood me," he said. "Who took the time to understand me. She was my best friend. I never had one of those before. The only thing I need is her back."

She got the feeling he wasn't really seeing her.

But she heard his words loud and clear.

Funny how hearing how lost he was made her own emotions burst forth, threatening to overwhelm her.

Tears clogged her throat, making her unable to speak. She left, dashing away, desperately needing a place to hide from everything.

Running past all the students and all their sympathetic faces, she fled up the stairs.

She ran mostly by instinct now, not by sight, which was why she accidentally ran into a firm chest standing in her path.

Gasping, she pulled away and looked up.

 _Jed_.

"J," he said. His eyes were red rimmed.

For once, someone's face wasn't filled with sympathy. He didn't feel sorry for her. He knew what she was feeling. He shared in the same pain. He didn't know what she had done, but he could be there for her in ways no one else could right now.

"J," she whispered, sinking against him.

When he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, she could almost believe he could make all the horror go away.

He needed comfort as much as she did. Unlike Wade, he was willing to accept her comfort. As for her, she didn't feel guilty about accepting comfort from him like she would have with Ethan.

They could be there for each other, and maybe she would be able to get through the night.

"Stay with me?" she asked, her face still pressed into his chest.

He didn't respond so much as nod and follow her when she made her way to her room.

As the evening turned to night, she felt like she was comforting him more than he was comforting her. They both cried, but she wasn't sure he would ever stop. He spent most of the time with his head buried in her shoulder, and she ran her hand over his back, trying to soothe him.

Eventually his silent sobs stopped.

She almost wished they hadn't because the moment she didn't have to focus on comforting him anymore, the guilt returned with a vengeance. She never felt more alone as she was trapped in her own thoughts—thoughts she couldn't share.

" _I didn't mean to!"_

" _It doesn't matter! You did it! You killed her!"_

" _You killed her! You killed her!"_

She covered her ears suddenly, clenching her eyes shut and gritting her teeth. _Make it stop! Oh God, someone make it stop!_

"I'm here, J," Jed said, feeling the change in her. He lifted his tear stained face and worry for her shone on his. "I'm here. What do you need?"

"I need to forget," she sobbed out as tears spilled again. "I just need to forget for a while." She couldn't fall asleep; she had tried that numerous times since they lay down. She was also worried it would chase her into her dreams.

Flinging her arms around him, desperate to escape the hell that was her own mind and feel _anything_ besides the guilt, she kissed him without thinking.

He didn't pull away, just waited for her to pull back on her own, but when she did he wasn't sure how to respond. He was so lost right now and nothing made sense, least of all this.

"Help me?" she begged. "Please, help me forget?"

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

She kissed him again.

So, he kissed her back, following her lead. He didn't know how any of this would help, but the pain he was feeling didn't hurt as much as it did before. He would do anything to comfort her, and he needed comfort too. If this was her forgetting what had happened, then maybe this was him escaping his own sadness for a while.

She felt him relax against her, felt his silent agreement as he continued kissing her, and she welcomed the new escape. She gave into it, feeling something other than regret and horror.

She gave herself over to him completely, just like he did the same for her.

And, this time, she had a condom.

* * *

Knowing what he did of supernaturals, Ethan would have expected there to be more tales of death and mayhem once he started at the Salvatore school.

Surprisingly—and fortunately—there weren't. The students here didn't want to hurt anyone. They were there to learn to control their powers.

But that didn't change the fact that every single werewolf was there because they triggered their curse by killing someone. Each of them knew what it was like to take a life, and they never wanted to do it again. A lot of them struggled with their actions. They felt like the changing on the full moon was their monthly punishment for what they did.

Ethan felt the same way too. Even _knowing_ what he did was an accident he would never forgive himself for not being able to save Dennis. He lived with that guilt every day. He didn't have to change on the full moon, but he did it anyway. He wanted to join his pack in solidarity. He also wanted to face the consequences for his actions and take his monthly 'punishment' like the rest of them.

Hearing that Josie had killed Wendy while protecting Jade, he couldn't help but wonder what the school would do to help her. He also couldn't help but think she needed friends to help her too. He knew enough to know the coven wasn't like his pack. He wasn't sure they would give her what she needed to get past it.

And since her parents were gone, and rumor had it Lizzie wasn't doing well, he decided to step up that morning to be there for her.

Last night, she told him she wanted to be alone, and he understood that. Sometimes processing harsh realities needed alone time. But that was then, this was now. He would try again, just like he would keep trying until he knew she was getting the help she needed.

Turning the corner on the way to her room and seeing Jed leaving it, however, was the last thing he expected.

Jed closed the door behind him and started down the hall, pausing when he saw Ethan.

"I was just heading to meet the bus?" Jed said, running a hand through his messy hair. "I won't be late, if that's what you're worried about."

"I came to check on Josie," Ethan said. "What are you doing?"

"Same thing," Jed shrugged, not meeting Ethan's eyes. "Checking on my friend."

"Figured she might want to go. Take her mind off everything," Ethan said. "Or I'll stay here with her."

"Don't," Jed reached out as if to stop him. "I mean, don't wake her up."

"But didn't you just wake her?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jed wasn't sure how to answer, so he didn't.

"Just let her sleep," Jed said. "She needs it."

Ethan didn't like what he was hearing. Jed was standing in front of him with bed head, rumpled clothes, and if he came there that morning to check on Josie she would still be awake. Which meant Jed hadn't _just_ arrived before Ethan did. And if he wasn't mistaken weren't those the same clothes Jed was wearing yesterday?

"Were you with her all night?" Ethan couldn't stop himself from asking.

Jed shrugged, "I gotta go. I'll see you on the bus."

"I asked you a question," Ethan's face grew hard. He would understand if Jed stayed with Josie because she needed someone. He would've stayed with her if she wanted him to too. But Jed was dodging his questions and wouldn't meet his eyes, and something about that didn't sit right with him. Jed was hiding something.

"You may be my alpha," Jed glared. "But not everything is your business."

Nothing about this smelled right—literally. Ethan didn't like the conclusion he was drawing, but…

Ethan looked around to make sure no one else was about.

"Did you _sleep_ with her?" he hissed in a whisper, his eyes flashing as he stepped closer to Jed in anger.

Jed gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing at Ethan in return.

"Did you take advantage of her?" Ethan was ready to beat the hell out of Jed.

" _No!_ " Jed lost it and pushed Ethan. "I would never do that!"

"Because if you did," Ethan threatened. He didn't like this at all. Josie lost her girlfriend and killed someone all in the same night. She was at her most vulnerable. He would've _never_ thought Jed would take advantage of that but the proof was pretty much right in front of his face.

"I _wouldn't_ ," Jed hissed. "Now stay the hell away from me!"

Jed didn't allow Ethan to say anything else to him, he had to leave.

Pissed didn't even _begin_ to describe the way he felt at Ethan's accusations.

He _was_ pissed though, and he was also pissed at himself because he did it _again_.

He slept with a girl who didn't want anything more from him than sex. At least this time there weren't any feelings involved other than friendship but with morning came his own guilt.

Jade hadn't even been dead for a day and he slept with her girlfriend? What kind of person did that make _him_?

He knew he wasn't thinking clearly last night. He just wanted to be there for Josie, just like he wanted her to be there for him. He just hadn't anticipated her wanting more than he wanted to give. But he gave it anyway because she asked. That was what _she_ needed.

And here was Ethan, accusing him of taking advantage of her.

Wasn't it _kind of_ the other way around?

But no, that wasn't really the truth either.

Why couldn't Ethan see it was just two friends comforting each other? That Jed hadn't done anything wrong? Why did it have to be _Ethan_ who saw him leave Josie's room? He was wrestling with so many thoughts as far as Ethan was concerned already, having his alpha think something so badly of him really hurt.

Bursting into his own room, he went through his dresser for clean clothes to toss on.

It had taken Josie hours to finally fall asleep, and he barely slept himself. He didn't want to leave her that morning, but he knew he would get too attached if he didn't and she didn't want that. Before she fell asleep, she also mentioned being glad he had the festival to distract him.

He would have to get through the festival today, including two time slots for the dunk tank.

He would go, but he wasn't too sure any of it would help distract him.

After leaving Josie and escaping Ethan, thoughts of Jade came flooding back.

Gripping the drawer handle, he yanked it off in a fit of grief.

How could Jade really be gone? She was just _there_. She was keeping herself in the cells because she was worried about hurting someone. So how did she end up being the one hurt?

She was one of the Js, one of his own private pack that kept him sane when everything else around him was falling apart. He could go to her with anything, for help with his parents or even _bubbles_.

He didn't want to go to the stupid festival.

But he didn't have anything else to do either.

From what he understood, Jade's funeral wouldn't be an open casket. They had to wait for Doctor Saltzman to get back before all the arrangements could commence.

He didn't think it really mattered when the funeral was.

It was going to take a long time before the grief stopped hurting so much.

* * *

"This is getting old, Caroline."

"How is it getting old?" Caroline asked, exasperated. "I haven't been here in two years."

"Not nearly long enough time has past," Valerie said in her haughty forever-annoyed tone. "Ric, I would say to what do I owe the pleasure, but I think I already know."

"Valerie," Alaric nodded. "It's about the girls."

"As I told Caroline _over_ two years ago," Valerie said, swirling a pot on the table in front of her. "There's no getting around the merge."

"That's just it," Alaric said. "We found a way… _kind of_."

"That's not possible," Valerie sat up sharply.

"We found new information," Caroline said. "We know the twin bond was linked to a seal that protected the dimensional gateway from this world to another. The world the Gemini originally came from. The seal had to last forever to keep the darkness of that world out, so they linked it to the twin bond since that, too, would last forever."

Valerie stared at her in dead silence.

Attempting to read her former rival, Caroline continued, "The Gemini Coven protected that information, so not many were told the truth of their roots. I wouldn't be surprised if this is all news to you."

Valerie finally shook her head, "I told you not to mess with the merge."

" _No_ ," Caroline said pointedly. "You told me it wasn't possible to stop the merge."

Valerie stood. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I think we're learning about that now," Alaric said. "Lizzie had a psychotic break because the darkness from the twin bond is overwhelming her. We left her sedated while we searched for a siphon to remove it—you."

"The merge isn't just tied to some seal!" Valerie said fiercely. "It's more than that or Kai killing himself wouldn't have killed the entire coven! The twins _must_ merge, and if you took away the spell that forced them to, you've unleashed the same force that created the death to all Gemini clause in the first place! Who undid the spell? Who messed with the merge?"

"The witches of New Orleans," Caroline supplied, looking at Alaric, both of them worried even more now.

"They're all in _grave_ danger," Valerie warned. "The original spell, the Gemini _did_ try to undo it once. They didn't want to continue to force the twins to merge. It only made things worse. They had to put the spell back in place, but that was when the entire coven became linked to the Gemini leader. _That_ was why your wedding became a blood bath, Ric. And now a whole new group of witches have been brought into it! I can't believe you did this!"

"Did you really expect us to sit around and do nothing to save our girls!?" Caroline asked. "You _really_ should've taken the time to explain things better!"

"You had just informed me of Stefan's demise, over ten years after the fact, I might add," Valerie said. "Letting you know the merge couldn't be undone was sufficient and as much as you were going to get at the time."

" _Really_ not sufficient," Caroline huffed.

"Back to the witches who helped," Alaric stepped forward. "Tell me more."

"What else can I say? Whichever of you," she eyed them accusingly, "had the grand idea to have those witches undo the merge, they involved them in something they never should have. This could very well be their downfall."

Alaric closed his eyes, "Hope."

"So, what?" Caroline asked, flinging out a hand. "They're just all going to die because the girls don't have to merge? And if so, when is this going to happen?"

"No, I'm saying the girls will _still_ have to merge," Valerie said. "The seal has to be recreated and linked to the twin bond again. We can only hope the curse extends to the witches of New Orleans _alone_. There's no telling what the added consequences will be."

"But what about right _now_?" Alaric asked, trying to focus on the current crisis before figuring out the next one. "The darkness that's overwhelming Lizzie."

"Only Lizzie?" Valerie asked.

"Yes," Alaric nodded.

"When did this happen?"

"Yesterday," Caroline provided. "Friday. But, it didn't happen all at once. It's been building up?" She looked to Alaric.

He nodded, "Clarke said there were at least three different times she got worse overnight including this one."

"Friday?" Valerie mumbled, walking to a calendar.

"Yeah, why is that important?" Caroline joined her.

"That was the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere," Valerie said.

"Hence, the annual Mystic Falls spring festival, yes," Caroline agreed.

"The spring equinox is a very powerful celestial event," Valerie said. "When was the spell undone?"

"At the end of December," Alaric said.

"There've been two full moons since then," Valerie said. "Two other very powerful celestial events."

"She's been getting worse after each one," Caroline breathed out in realization.

"Yes," Valerie nodded. "And I could go with you to siphon the darkness from her, but I fear it will keep returning worse than before with each major celestial event."

She looked at the other two.

"And there's a full moon next week."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Caroline asked.

"Try putting her in a deep sleep until the spell is put back in place?" Valerie suggested.

"But that means…" Caroline looked at Alaric.

"They'll still have to merge," Alaric said solemnly.

"What about Josie?" Caroline asked. "The darkness hasn't affected her the same as Lizzie."

"Probably because she put her magic away," Alaric said. He looked at Valerie to give more clarification. "She struggled with black magic at the beginning of the year. She was overwhelmed by a mora miserium. Once she was purged of all the darkness, she put her powers in a coin. She only took them out twice since then. To defeat a monster, and for unbinding the twin bond. Besides some… misbehaving lately, there hasn't been any side-effects like Lizzie is experiencing."

"Putting her powers away probably protected her from the effects of the cosmos, yes," Valerie agreed.

"But, what about her actual powers?" Caroline asked. "Were they affected even if she didn't have them?"

"I don't know," Valerie said.

"The coin," Caroline said. "Would you be able to sense the magic and tell if it's good or bad if you held it?"

"Yes," Valerie nodded.

Alaric had kept it with him at all times. He knew how important it was. Pulling it out of his pocket, he held it out for her to touch.

"There's no magic in this," Valerie said, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you have the wrong coin?" Caroline asked Alaric.

"No…" Alaric held up the coin to stare at closely, knowing he didn't have any other change in his pocket. "She picked it up. She told me it was the one. She was preparing to take the powers back."

"Did she?" Caroline asked.

"No, not then…" Alaric trailed off.

"She must have taken them back before then," Valerie said. "Because there's nothing here."

Alaric looked at Caroline as cold dread grew in his gut mixed with betrayal and fear.

If Josie had her magic when the spring equinox hit…

They both knew Josie wasn't strong enough to overcome the darkness.

Even if the powers hadn't been affected with each celestial event, Josie had been hell bent on saving her sister her _self_ … taking that darkness into herself.

There was no telling what was happening back home.

"We need to call the school," Caroline said.

* * *

"Citizens of Mystic Falls," Matt spoke loudly into the microphone. "Thank you for joining me in celebrating another spring in our beautiful town. I grew up here, and some of my favorite memories come from community events just like this one. Gathering together as a community has always been second nature to us. Supporting each other, it's a way of life here. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'd like to thank Elizabeth Saltzman from the Salvatore school for all her hard work, as well as the Salvatore School students for assisting her in making this year's spring festival the best one yet.

"I'd also like to extend a word of appreciation to three other members of our community. My new teacher appreciation initiative's goal is to recognize three assets of our community each spring. This year, I'd like to introduce you to Diana Garcia, Paul Jennings, and Tara Brooks."

All three of the teachers stepped forward proudly next to the mayor as applause rang out.

"Thank you all for your dedication," he addressed them.

He waited for the applause to die down before he turned to the crowd again.

"Enjoy the rest of the events planned for you all today. I see some of you have already tried your hand at the dunk tank," he paused at the laughter. "And the three legged race will be starting soon! Play, eat, drink, and make memories to last a lifetime!"

Relieved _that_ part of his job was over, he left the stage as quickly as possible, shaking hands of teachers and well wishers.

He didn't get far, however, before Sheriff Machado dogged his steps.

"You and I need to talk, Mr. Mayor," Mac said with a pointed look.

"Let me guess," he said with a wry smile that didn't meet his eyes. "My intern?"

"My teenage daughter, yes."

"As I'm sure you know, Sheriff, there are many dangers lurking everywhere in this town. She needs to be prepared," he said. "Especially since she's a part of that world now."

"I don't want her involved," she said.

"Her _job_ isn't to get involved. Just report it," he was quick to correct her. "Nothing dangerous about that."

"She hates being the narc," Mac said, knowing how much Maya hated speaking up against Jade. She didn't want her daughter to continuously be put in that position.

"Then why did she report it?" he asked.

"Because she didn't want anyone to get hurt," she sighed, knowing that if she _hadn't_ said anything, more trouble could've happen. She still wasn't clear on what happened at Diana Garcia's house yesterday, but her deputies had given chase to someone leaving the teacher's home. That person had disappeared without a trace. The Triad agents at the house couldn't tell her much more, and she hadn't been able to reach Ryan Clarke yet either.

"Definitely a good girl you've got there," he said because it was true. Not many teenagers would put their own struggles and drama aside to worry about someone they didn't know. "An asset to the town."

"Just don't involve her in anything dangerous," she warned, softening slightly. In truth, she was glad Maya was focused on something more important. She _did_ know about the horrors that lurked in the shadows. She also knew she couldn't protect her children from them all as she wasn't beside them every moment of every day. If the _mayor_ was willing to help her child learn to protect herself, train her in a way that no other self defense class could because they didn't know of the dangers she needed to be protected from, then she would let Maya continue.

For now.

Matt nodded, "That's the last thing I want to do."

* * *

All this time, Ethan had been trying to do whatever he could to reach Jed. He knew something wasn't right, and he wanted to help him. He wanted his best friend back.

Moving as they did a year ago, he had to leave a lot of his friends behind. He made friends easily at Mystic Falls High, just as he always made friends easily wherever he lived and went. But Jed was different because he was right there with him when he found out about his curse. Jed helped him through his first transformation back from a werewolf. He showed him around his new school, introduced him to the world he was now apart of. He was a good friend.

Ethan always figured he would be able to get to the bottom of what went wrong and fix it.

He just never figured he would ever get to the point where he didn't _want_ to fix it.

Jed denied taking advantage of Josie, and Ethan wanted to believe him, but that didn't change the fact he was pretty sure Jed _had_ slept with Josie last night and it wasn't just to _sleep_.

It made him angry, and not because he once wanted to be more than friends with Josie. He wasn't jealous. He accepted the numerous times she friend zoned him. He got the message, she wasn't interested. He was cool with that.

No, he was angry because no matter _how_ much Jed denied it, she was still vulnerable. And as her friend, Jed shouldn't have done that.

For the first time since finding out he was a wolf, he understood the uncontrollable rage that came with his curse. No matter how many times he tried to talk himself down, he was on the verge of losing his temper.

Finally, in a bid to alleviate some of that anger, he left the other werewolves and vampires in charge of the Ninja Warrior area early and went to visit the dunk tank knowing who was on the chopping block.

He needed to prove a point. The point being that he was pissed.

Jed wouldn't talk to him, Jed blew him off, and now Jed had taken advantage of Josie. He wasn't even sure if he knew who Jed was at all.

When it was his turn to give the vendor his tickets for his three balls, he took great pleasure in throwing and _slamming_ each of those balls against the target, and then watching Jed fall with a giant splash again and again.

The third time, he could tell he was getting to him. His eyes glowed before he turned away so the crowd wouldn't see as he climbed the ladder back to his perch.

Ethan went to give the vendor more tickets for another set, but was met with a head shake, "Give someone else a turn."

Wanting to get back in line, Ethan restrained himself and stepped away, but he still watched, glaring the entire time.

"And I thought _I_ was the only one angry about the dunk tank," Willa said, joining him.

Ethan didn't reply.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked. She was new, but from what she heard, Ethan was always very easygoing,he most laidback of wolves in fact, and a very good alpha to boot.

"Don't you have something else to do?" he asked. It was bad enough that most of the time he saw her, he had to reprimand her, but now he wanted to stew in his anger in silence.

"Nope," Willa said. "Lizpain didn't give me a job. I think it had something to do with the flying office supplies."

Ethan grunted in satisfaction when someone else hit the target and Jed dropped into the pool with a splash.

"So, I don't really get along well with the other she-wolves," she began.

He nearly smiled at that. There were only two others, and they didn't like the new girl yet. He could've worked on them to accept her, but he figure it had something to do with her not going through her first transformation yet. Once that was done, then she would officially be accepted into the pack.

"But there _is_ one other," she said. "Isn't Hope Mikaelson a she-wolf too?"

"Amongst other things," he said.

"Maybe she'll like me?" she said hopefully.

"If you stop throwing things at her best friend's head, yeah, maybe," he said.

"Couldn't hurt to try," she shrugged. "Have you seen her?"

"She signed up for a slot later," he said. Though, now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen her all day yesterday or today… and a community volunteer was at her face painting station _and_ Ryan's M&M and Lollipop station. _Huh_.

"What time is it?" he asked, realizing suddenly that he left his phone in his truck.

"Almost three," she said.

"It's my turn then," he said, nodding to the dunk tank.

"Are you for _real_?" Willa said, brows furrowed in disgust. "You're alpha! Why are you lowering yourself to _that_?"

"It's for charity, Willa. And being alpha doesn't make me better than anyone else," he said, shaking his head at her. He wasn't worried that Jed would take a turn slamming balls at his target. Jed would do the same thing he had done for the past few months—get as far away from Ethan as possible.

Willa watched him walk toward the back end of the dunk tank where the entrance was located.

He stayed back until Jed finished and left, ignoring Ethan on his way. Ethan pulled his t-shirt up and off, preparing to go in for his turn.

She was about to turn away when she saw something she wasn't expecting.

_How did he have the birthmark!?_

Something wasn't right.

She knew Hope would have it but not this guy. She had already heard a lot about Hope, and she was pretty sure there was nothing to worry about. But knowing what she did about Ethan, it was _really_ bad that he had the mark.

Walking to the edge of the festival grounds, she quickly found a number in her phone.

"Dad, there's a problem. There are two of them."

"That's not possible."

"We know _she_ is, but he has the mark too. I just saw it! He's one of them."

"Tell me everything."

* * *

Lizzie wasn't sure the last time she felt so sluggish.

Waking up was almost a chore, and she honestly didn't want to do it.

But something wasn't right, and the longer she lay there doing nothing, the longer things would feel wrong.

Opening her eyes to slits, she looked around.

_This isn't my room._

It was the infirmary. The last time she was there, Hope had nearly died and was struggling to recover. But now _she_ was the one lying in the bed.

When her arms wouldn't move, she struggled to move her head to look at them.

_Why am I strapped down?_

It was like her very own worst nightmare, minus the straight jacket and sealed shut door.

"What's going on?" she managed to mumble.

"Oh, thank God you're awake," Josie said, leaning over her. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

"I don't know," Lizzie managed to say. "Why am I locked up?"

"You had a psychotic break," Josie said, reaching for the straps. " _Clarke_ made us put them on you. And Hope. But you're okay now, right?"

"I… guess?" Lizzie closed her eyes, listening to the sound of Josie undoing the straps. "Wait…what time is it? The festival?"

"It's being taken care of," Josie said with distaste.

"What do you mean?" Lizzie asked.

"It's Saturday," Josie explained. "You've been out since yesterday."

"Oh my God, the festival," Lizzie tried to sit up, realizing everything must be a mess.

"Stop thinking about the festival," Josie said. "It went on. Don't worry. Something else happened."

Lizzie noted the somber look on her sister's face and immediately stopped worrying about the festival. She was worried about her.

"What happened, Jos?" Lizzie asked. "I remember…not feeling that great, but not much else."

"You had a psychotic break," Josie repeated, knowing Lizzie probably didn't follow her words very well earlier.

Lizzie laughed mockingly at herself, "Of course I did. Always gotta go big with the dramatics, don't I?" Her laughter was humorless. She knew this wasn't good.

"It was the darkness, wasn't it?" she asked, her worst fears confirmed.

"We figured out we could siphon it out of you, so I did," Josie said, her voice monotonous.

Lizzie didn't like the way the light had gone completely out of Josie's eyes. Something terrible must have happened. She could feel it now. Josie was in pain.

"What happened?" Lizzie asked.

"I did the spell. I transferred it to Wendy… and it did something," Josie said. "She… she… the darkness killed Jade." She couldn't admit to anyone that she had done it, but she couldn't bring herself to lie to Lizzie about Wendy either. So she told a twisted version of the truth.

The darkness _did_ kill Jade.

It just wasn't using Wendy to do it.

Now Lizzie understood why Josie looked so bad.

She reached out for Josie instantly and her sister fell into her arms.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry," Lizzie mumbled into Josie's hair, holding her tightly, at a loss for words.

"I… had to stop her," Josie had to tell her the rest. "She's… Wendy's dead too."

Gasping, Lizzie rushed to reassure her, her mind was a mess trying to process everything that had happened in her absence.

"It's okay," Lizzie held her, stroking her hair. "You did what you had to do."

"I know," Josie said, trying to hold back her tears. If she got started again, she might not stop. "It's just hard."

"Join me?" Lizzie scooted over for Josie to lay down with her.

"No," Josie shook her head, pulling away. "I can't lay around thinking about it anymore. I need to keep busy. What about a late lunch? It's too early for dinner, but you haven't eaten all day _or_ yesterday. _They_ decided to keep you sedated. Are you hungry?"

" _Yes_ ," Lizzie said even though she wasn't sure keeping busy was really what Josie needed. "Starving."

"I'll go get it for you," Josie volunteered, pulling away from the bed and standing.

"Bring it to our room?" Lizzie looked around. "Now that I'm awake, I really want to get out of here. This place gives me the heebeejeebees." And once there, she could talk with Josie some more about what happened. There were so many things she still didn't know. Like, where were her parents?

"Want me to walk you up first?" Josie asked.

"No, go, I need food," Lizzie said, sitting up. "I can handle it. Feeling better already."

* * *

"We need to see Dorian," Hope said when Clarke stopped the car in front of the school. "Then I need to find Josie."

Clarke was too impatient to see Lizzie after her meddlesome sister messed with everything. He wanted to see for _himself_ that she was okay. But he followed Hope anyway, knowing it wouldn't be long before he could see her.

Bursting into Doctor Saltzman's office without knocking, they found Dorian on his phone, speaking loudly as it was obviously a bad connection.

"Hope," Dorian said with some relief. "Caroline and Ric finally called the school. They're trying to get a flight back. Phone service is sketchy. They know Josie has her powers. They keep trying to tell me something I can't make out. I heard your name, though."

Hearing a scratching on the line, he turned his attention back to the cell phone in his hand, "Hope's here."

Hope stepped forward as Clarke circled around the room.

He was restless as he remembered his mother's words.

" _Then make sure she survives."_

Josie may have siphoned the darkness out of Lizzie, but he had a feeling trouble was far from over. He had to try _everything_ to save her.

"I'll try mine," Hope said, pulling out her phone to call them.

Dorian told the headmasters, hoping they could understand, before he hung up.

Clarke watched Dorian walk around the desk to join Hope.

With no one paying attention to him, he walked closer to the desk. He was told not to give Lizzie Hope's blood without her permission. He still wanted to see if it would work.

He just needed her permission.

"I still can't hear them," Hope looked around. "I'm going outside. Service may be better. It's usually best down by the dock."

Dorian walked her out, and Clarke took the chance to pull open one of the familiar desk drawers. It had, after all, once been his desk. A couple werewolf cures were exactly where Alaric always kept them in case of an emergency.

Grabbing one, he slammed the drawer closed.

He was acting on instinct now. He could've just asked Hope, but she was busy and he was impatient. He knew she would agree anyway.

Now, if only Lizzie would.

Leaving the office, he made his way to the infirmary…

And he promptly crossed paths with Josie who just left from there.

While there were a million things he wanted to say to her, he bit back all the words and resolved to ignore her until he could see Lizzie.

She didn't have the same resolve.

"Sure, keep ignoring me," she snapped. Seeing him brought back the rage, and it felt just as good as it did yesterday.

He couldn't resist.

"That was the plan," he returned. "But if you want my attention so badly, there are other ways besides murder."

"I didn't kill anyone," she glared. She had no problem lying to _him_.

"No, you were only hiding a thief and a murderer," he said. "You brought that here, got your girlfriend killed and took a life. There's no telling what you did to Lizzie."

"I _saved_ her," she defended, trying to push past the pangs of regret that hit her with his words. The _rage_. She needed to focus on that. "No thanks to you."

"Did you though?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"She's awake!" she said, pointing her hand back at the room. "She's alive, and the darkness is gone!"

"From one into the other," he said, nonplussed. "So now everyone has to save you. Count me out."

"I am _fine_ ," she snapped. "I don't need any help, and I _definitely_ wouldn't need it from you if I did. _You_ did this to me. You started all of this!"

"Is that what this is about?" he laughed mockingly. "You were a means to an end. You want to keep blaming me for your fall into darkness? You and I both know you would've gotten there eventually all by yourself."

"This is all your fault!" she yelled. Because it _was_. She would've never involved herself in hiding Wendy if it weren't for him. She wouldn't have been done everything she did to help Wendy if it weren't for him.

She wouldn't have killed Jade if it weren't for him.

"Doubtful," he said. "I did what I needed to survive. What's your excuse? Revenge? Tell that to the two Triad agents I had to bury last week burnt to a crisp by Wendy. Those deaths are on you too."

Learning that her actions caused even _more_ death was the very last thing she wanted to hear.

" _You_ did this to me!" she yelled. "You made me like this!"

He scoffed, "I didn't make you do anything. I gave you a choice, and you took the darkest path. I don't know why you put your magic away in the first place. The magic wasn't the problem, it was you."

"I hate you!"

"I don't care," he shrugged. "Deny everything and blame me all you want, but I can sleep well at night. Can you say the same?"

She gripped her fists in front of her, the rage igniting inside of her to a fiery inferno that she just wanted to _release_.

"The truth hurts," he smirked, but then he looked around and remembered his mission. He started backing away towards the infirmary. He wasn't stupid enough to show Josie his back when he knew how angry she was. "And the truth is, I have no more time for you."

She watched, the rage still burning, as he disappeared into the room.

Lashing out at him, setting him on fire, would be so satisfying but it would only be temporary. He couldn't die. He would heal.

Never before had she hated someone so much.

The person she was right now? That was never the person she wanted to be.

She wanted to be selfless, kind, understanding—the good twin. She had _always_ been the good twin until _he_ came along

And now, somehow in the span of twenty four hours everything had changed.

Death, lies, loss of control…

She even slept with _Jed_.

If he ever found out the truth about Jade's death, he would never forgive her.

Would _any_ of them ever forgive her?

…Would she ever forgive herself?

 _No_. _No._

She didn't do it! She didn't do it!

" _You killed her! You killed her!"_

It was the darkness! The darkness that _only_ existed because of Clarke!

He started this. He started all of this.

And now he was acting like he did nothing.

That he wasn't to blame for her misery.

He could just waltz around with his new perfect existence with his new perfect girlfriend and live happily ever after.

And she would have to live with her horror for the rest of her life.

Turning, she stalked down the hall.

She didn't know what she was going to do. She had no plan, but she felt like she needed one. She needed to do _something_ to win this war.

It wasn't a game anymore.

It was full out war, and she wouldn't stop until she destroyed him.

"Josie?" Dorian caught her attention. He aimed a thumb behind him toward the front doors he just came through. "Hope's looking for you. She's down at the dock trying to get service. She mentioned finding you after."

"I'll go to her," she said, nodding.

And now she had a glimmer of a plan.

* * *

He found Lizzie sitting on the edge of the bed. She was awake, alive and looked much better than the last time he saw her.

"That's a good look for you," he said, pausing in the doorway.

"Yesterday's gross clothes I'm still wearing a day later?" Lizzie said, looking up. She tried to stand up a moment ago but felt dizzy so she sat back down. "Gee, thanks."

"Alive and lucid," he corrected.

She looked around the room.

"You know, I think this is the first time we've talked without anyone else around," she said. "Weird."

He shrugged, "Hope'll be here soon. Couldn't wait."

"Huh," she said. "Well, now you've seen me, so… hey, do you know where MG is? I thought he might be here…"

"He's at the festival," he said. He didn't need to confirm that to know it was true. The only way Milton Greasley would leave Lizzie Saltzman's side while she was injured was if he was at that festival helping her in another way.

"Oh," she shrugged like it didn't matter, but it kind of did. "Guess that _is_ more important."

"He's pretending to be you," he said with amusement. "He has my ring."

"Seriously?" she laughed. "Lizzie Saltzman went pacifist over night. God, I hope he doesn't let everyone walk all over him."

"My team is there to help," he said, letting her know MG wasn't being overwhelmed. "He'll be back soon. Because you're wrong, the festival isn't more important than you."

"Wow, Shrek, I knew you cared, but… wait, your team?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Can't win that contest if the festival is less than stellar. Call them insurance."

"You sent your team to help run my festival so I could win Miss Mystic Falls?" she asked incredulously, her eyes wide. " _Why_?"

"Like I said," he said, walking forward and pulling the vial out of his pocket. "You're important."

"What's that?" she asked, though she was still confused. He thought she was important? He did all of those things for her? She already knew everything he was doing for her—having Triad working around the clock to find a way to stop the darkness he thought was growing inside of her from severing the link to the seal—but now he was doing _more_?

"Hope's blood," he said, holding it out to her.

"Why…" she dragged out the word, eyeing it.

"You had a psychotic break."

"So I heard."

"They wouldn't let you have this without your permission," he said. "So I'm getting your permission."

"But I don't need that now," Lizzie said, rearing away from it. "Josie siphoned the darkness out of me."

"Who's to say it won't come back," he said smoothly. He needed to convince her. He knew this wasn't over just like that. His mother wouldn't have given him such a firm warning if it were.

"I guess there's no way of knowing," she said. "But I don't see the point when I'm fine now, and Josie can just siphon me again if it happens."

"Giving your sister more black magic won't help anyone," he said. It certainly hadn't helped Jade or Wendy.

"Then I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it," she said, still refusing to take the blood. "I'm starving, but I'm not _that_ hungry. Speaking of, I need to get up to my room. Josie's bringing me lunch."

"Take this," he insisted, pressing the vial closer to her. " _Please_."

"Please?" Lizzie said. "Look, I get that you were worried about me, and thanks… but I'm not taking vampire blood."

"It's not vampire blood," he argued. "It's Hope's blood, and it has healing properties like nothing else. Just _take_ it. _Try_ it. Just _try_. _Please_." Yes, he was actually begging Lizzie Saltzman to do something.

Correction.

He was begging his sister to let him save her.

"But, I'm _okay_ ," she said again, though his pleading was getting to her. Why was he so desperate?

"And if Hope's blood stops the darkness from spreading ever again? If it prevents your mind from shattering ever again? Don't you want to just _try_ it? Do you really want to take the chance that it could come back? What if it's worse than this time?"

She pursed her lips weakly.

He _did_ have a point.

" _I'm pretty sure you were a vampire."_

Hope's dream… or premonition.

If she took it, she was once more tempting fate.

If she took it, it could help her in the long run.

If she took it and died, then…

She would be a vampire-witch hybrid. A heretic.

She would be immortal, never aging, never having children, forced to survive on a blood diet for the rest of her life.

Of course, if she _didn't_ take it and she died, then she wouldn't age nor have children either.

She could also take it and nothing might happen at all.

"If I take this and I end up dying, you're stuck with me forever, you know that right?" she finally said.

"Works for me," he shrugged, but he was feeling hopeful. Was she actually going to do it?

"Get me a ginger ale out of that mini-fridge," she said, grabbing it out of his hand. "Hope may be sweet, but I'm sure this isn't."

He grinned and fetched the drink for her, even grabbing a straw.

She swallowed it quickly and immediately grabbed for the soda.

"Ugh," she said. "Happy now?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"You said Hope was coming?" she asked.

"Yeah…" he glanced at the door with a frown. Was she still trying to get a signal?

"What's wrong?"

"Thought she'd be here by now."

"Then let's go find her," she stood up slowly, pleased when she didn't feel dizzy again. "Oh look, good as new already."

* * *

"Hope."

Hearing the voice behind her as she finally ended the call without any success, Hope spun around with a wide relieved smile.

"Josie!"

Hope rushed the few steps to hug her.

"I'm here! Whatever you need," she said, her arms tight around her friend, her chin resting on her shoulder as she spoke meaningfully into her ear. "I am so sorry about Jade! And for what you had to do to Wendy. I know you had to do it. I wish I could be here sooner. I wish I could've stopped it—"

Josie, with her arms around Hope already full of power, decided a small addition to help with her plan wouldn't hurt.

She siphoned from Hope.

Hope pulled back slightly, her hands still resting on Josie's arms.

"Did you just…?"

"I'm sorry…" Josie began.

"It's okay," Hope was quick to interrupt and reassure her.

"…But he doesn't deserve to be happy," Josie finished.

"Wha—" Hope's face filled with confusion as Josie pulled away and stepped back from her suddenly.

In the blink of an eye, Josie conjured a fireball and flung it right at Hope's face before the tribrid had time to process what was happening.

Hitting Hope with a fiery magical burst made her fly backwards and lose consciousness as she fell into the lake behind her.

It was only the second day of spring, but the water was still way too chilled for swimming.

The cold water woke Hope only for her to find herself under water and searching for air.

The water grew impossibly colder as she tried to get her bearings and kick towards the surface. Looking around, she struggled to see.

Ice.

Looking up, she saw with frightening clarity that the lake above her head had been iced over. She looked around frantically. She didn't know how far the ice covered the lake and she was already freezing.

Ice. Water.

She knew this spell.

She could melt the ice.

Except every time she tried that spell, she made the ice turn to boiling water.

 _Focus_ , she told herself. _You've got to focus_. _Melt the ice!_

She was fading fast. Her lungs were burning, lacking the oxygen that she never had a chance to gasp for.

If she didn't do something in the next few moments…

She was going to drown.

* * *

"Josie!" Lizzie called out, seeing her sister on the dock. "Where's Hope? I decided we're _all_ going to have a late lunch together. I guess you forgot about bringing lunch to my room?"

Clarke stayed a few steps back, not wishing to repeat anymore of his earlier argument with Josie in front of Lizzie or Hope.

Josie didn't turn around.

Lizzie noticed the lake was covered in ice. _What?_

"Josie? Josie!"

Clarke approached closer at her words, frowning at the ice too.

"Isn't it spring? Why is it frozen over?" he asked no one in particular.

"Josie? Where is Hope?" Lizzie said suddenly, getting a bad feeling.

Josie didn't turn or say anything. She was completely focused on the ice.

Call it the twin bond, or just a gut feeling, but Lizzie somehow realized what was happening.

"Josie, _stop!_ " Lizzie went to grab her sister's arm, yelling back at Ryan. " _I think Hope's under the ice!_ "

Josie pulled away from Lizzie, pushing her away to focus her magic on the ice again until something _hard_ hit her.

Clarke ran into her, knocking her down and landing on the ground with her.

"I got her, _melt the ice_!" he yelled back at Lizzie as Josie started struggling against him.

He kept trying to pin her while she squirmed and screamed at him.

Lizzie couldn't understand why Josie would do this, but she knew Hope didn't have much time left, if she had any at all. She started working on the ice, using the spell from class. At least _this_ one she had never gotten wrong. She just never melted this much ice at once before.

"You're going to kill her!" Clarke yelled at Josie, struggling to keep her contained so she didn't interrupt Lizzie's progress.

"Good!" Josie cried out and grabbed his arm to siphon.

He pulled back and grabbed the hand on his arm. Using the powers from his father that he despised, he forced the mud to move out of him, feeling it as it snaked around her hand to move up her arm.

She screamed and used her other hand to send out a magical pulse.

He flew off of her, though he dragged her with him.

Suddenly they were on the grass instead of the dock.

He was dislodged from her with the force of her spell, so he scrambled to right himself and attack her again.

She was faster than him, already up before he was.

"She's your friend!" he reminded her, jumping forward still on the ground to grab her around the ankle before she could start running.

"And she'll live again with one small difference," she sneered, sending another magical burst at him, making him sprawl back on the ground.

"She never wanted _your_ kids anyway!" she smirked with a victorious grin before she went after Lizzie.

His anger swelled and the ground started rumbling before she could reach the dock again.

She had to stop to keep her balance, holding her arms out.

"What the hell?" she said, looking down. But she wouldn't let it stop her. She conjured another fireball and prepared to send it flying at Lizzie.

That was when the shaking ground beneath her feet cracked opened and she screamed as she fell straight down into the earth.

The shaking and scream made Lizzie look over her shoulder right in time to see what happened.

" _Ryan! No!_ " Lizzie screamed. She had no idea how the earth had split open like that, but it must be him.

Not knowing where the instinct came from, especially since he was perfectly intent on letting Josie Saltzman fall to her death—maybe it had something to do with Lizzie calling him Ryan for the first time—he managed to open a black pool at the base of the gorge right before she hit bottom.

Running around the crater, he reached Lizzie in the next instant.

"Hope's trapped under there! Break the ice!" he told her. He knew she wouldn't remember.

But before Lizzie could start again, an explosive sound rang out. The sheet of ice burst apart and flew up, blowing off the lake, leaving him to shield Lizzie until it stopped.

Hope burst straight up out of the water long enough to gulp in a deep breath, and then sank back down, clearly struggling.

She had managed to use her power to break the ice, tapping into everything she had ever held back to make it happen.

Sucking down the glorious oxygen, she fumbled at staying afloat.

Ignoring a shard of ice that stabbed him in the side, Clarke jumped into the freezing water and grabbed at her.

He swam to the pier, pulling her with him.

Lizzie was there to help drag her out as Clarke pulled himself up, shivering and pulling the ice shard out now that Hope was safe.

"Josie," Hope gasped out, coughing up water as she tried to catch her breath. "Something's wrong with Josie. Where is she?"

"Gone," he said.

"Gone?" she coughed again. "Gone where?"

"Who's Josie?" Lizzie asked.

_Oh._

_My._

_God._

"No," Hope breathed out in disbelief, staring at Ryan. "Please tell me you didn't?"

"She tried to kill you," he said, looking her over to make sure she was really okay.

"I'm alive though!" Hope said, closing her eyes, still panting slightly. "You know the pit can't hold her. Where did you put her out? I'll go get her."

"Her, who?" Lizzie asked, still trying to understand. "What's going on? Who trapped you under the ice?"

"You can't," Clarke said, ignoring Lizzie's question.

"Yes, I _can_ ," Hope glared at him, making sure he understood there was no stopping her from finding Josie and bringing her home.

He shook his head.

"I didn't put her out here. I put her out on the other side of the seal," he said. "When I said she's gone, I meant it."

Hope stared at him in complete shock and growing horror.

Ryan sent Josie out on the _other_ side of the dimensional gateway… meaning, he put her in that other world. The one the Gemini originally came from. The one that had been over run with black magic and monsters created from that magic.

Her boyfriend just basically kicked one of her best friends off the planet.

" _What have you done?!_ "

* * *

From the terrifying descent that felt like dropping off the side of a cliff, to a sea of blackness where she landed abruptly but surprisingly alive, she was less worried when a cyclone opened and swept her off her feet.

She knew where she was.

That asshole dropped her into Malivore.

And now, of course, the hell dimension couldn't hold her because she was a witch. So she waited to be spit out.

Clarke won that round, but he hadn't won the war.

As soon as she got back to earth, she would find her way home and do whatever it took to take him down once and for all.

The wind tunnel finally stopped and she was pushed through another blob of dark goo…

_Into water._

With barely a chance to hold her breath, she found herself under water. She didn't know which way was up. She turned around and saw the portal. She tried to push her way _back_ into it, but it wouldn't give.

Trying to remain calm, she looked around. Noting how dark it was, she wondered if she was way too deep… she had to do _something_ though or her oxygen supply would run out.

She hoped she was making the right choice and pushed off the portal, swimming upwards. She needed to survive this.

If that jerk thought he could drown her…

He probably thought it would be poetic justice for what she did to Hope.

As she kept swimming, she grew to regret that more and more.

She didn't really want to hurt Hope. She just wanted to hurt him.

Something brushed against her leg and she jerked away, trying to see.

_What was that!?_

She couldn't see, but she _did_ notice the water above her was getting lighter. She was nearly to _something_. Hopefully she would break the surface soon.

Only thirty seconds or so had passed since she was spit out into her watery abyss, but it felt like thirty minutes.

The _thing_ brushed against her leg again and she kicked out—hoping to kick whatever _it_ was away _and_ give herself an extra push upwards.

As she rose, the face of some kind of creature with a giant mouth for a head, sporting thousands of teeth, came out of the darkness in front of her and headed straight for _her_ face.

And she screamed.


End file.
